Not quite as filling as turkey leftovers, but just as satisfying…
I appreciated the related tags box that Technorati displays after you execute a search. This is something our library OPACs are getting better at. A basic search in Technorati pulls up A LOT of junk. An advanced search is somewhat more tolerable, but still not as relevant as the results found in Syndic8’s basic search. What Technorati doesn’t do that I wish it did: refine search options. I typed in “firefly” and it suggested the tag “serenity.” By clicking on “serenity” it searches only “serenity” instead of “serenity” and my original search term. To search both terms, you have to type them in manually. I am absurdly lazy- accommodate me!
Searches in Syndic8 seemed to retrieve the most relevant results when doing a basic search. Unfortunately, I could not find an advanced search option, perhaps because the interface is so busy. Busy or poor interfaces make me feel like my time is better spent elsewhere.
My first impression of Topix was that the site was chaotic but playing around made me more comfortable. What I did like: when you type in your search terms a drop down box appears below the search field, suggesting tags within specific genres before you complete your search. For instance I typed in “firefly” and Topix suggested “Firefly” under Entertainment. Are we paying attention libraries? What if our OPACS could suggest authority-controlled headings (in real-time) when a user types in a keyword (tag)? We could combine the power of search AND browse…
Feedster was unavailable at time of posting.
I am likely to use all of these tools intermittently, depending upon the kind of information I am looking for. I found the focus on news items to be extremely useful in Topix (the inclusion of polls and forums were also nice). Technorati is hard to ignore, being one of the most widely used of the search tools. In addition, Technorati has the benefit of a thriving developer community and so it has many periphery services like blog gadets and APIs.
Playing in Puddles 