Hotbot gets a facelift

redesigned site is 'free from ads'

[jeremy goodrich]

Story here: pcworld [news.yahoo.com]

The homepage doesn't feature advertising anymore, but the SERP's still have a 468 across the top.

:) And not to mention the XML CPC results, Overture links...lol.

Anybody out there still use this? ...they have Google now too - perhaps Terra Lycos thinks that will swing the users their way?

An improvement, but not far enough, imho...people won't bite. It's got no 'uniqueness' for the end user, and a severe lacking in 'cool factor'.

Hats off to them, though, for trying.

[dvduval]

Maybe I'm a little slow. I never thought I would say thie but...
Hotbot is AWESOME!

1. Type your keywords.
2. Switch between results for Google, Alltheweb, Inktomi, or Teoma
3. Includes refresh dates for each of them.

[martinibuster]

Yup, there's an earlier thread about it here [webmasterworld.com].

[jeremy goodrich]

Okay, I'll wipe the egg off of my face now...to think I was here most of the weekend, and didn't see it!

Too much information I tell you, there is too much good stuff here. :)

[keyplyr]

already posted here too [webmasterworld.com]

[markd]

Thanks Jeremy - I didn't see it until your post!

After excellent former positions in HotBot via Ink, I'll be looking at this one with interest.

[Tor]

It remains to be seen if the number of users will increase. That depends mostly how heavy Terra Lycos will promote the new features in Hotbot.

[edit_g]

This is a nice look as well- [hotbot.com...]

[Rincewind]

I like the "Skin Hotbot" feature. It even allows you to upload your own css file for the site. However I did not think this message was not all that helpfull, when I viewed the new site in Mozilla 1.1

To choose a new skin for HotBot, you must download a browser that supports Web standards.
Read More about why this is important and what you're missing.

Download Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

Take a look at some of the skins you are missing...

[jeremy goodrich]

That's great :)

They must have forgotten there were more than 2 browsers out there...perhaps that's an old message that wasn't upadeted with the rest of the site?

[Brad]

>>Download Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

I got that in Moz for the Mac too. Now in Mac Opera cloaked as IE I could change skins with no problem and got no warning. (I had to try the 50/50 nightmare green and black skin just once to see if I could survive.)

[Bobby]

Ah...the search engine battle moves to a new level!

The convenience of simply clicking on Fast, Google, Inktomi or Teoma (excellent choices but I'd also have included Altavista because of their relevant search results) is definately an attraction. Let's be honest, how many of us are considering Hotbot now because of its sheer convenience?

I enjoy the ability to customize (and save) the search results (50 results to a page etc.) and like the new and simple approach. Best of all the results are FAST.

It's interesting to note that MSN or Looksmart directory results are excluded here.

[andrewg]

Since there is little likelihood that Hotbot will truly make a comeback (no matter how good its features), I tend to think there is more here than meets the eye.

Since the main beneficiary would appear to be Inktomi, who get to showcase Web Search 9 in advance of next year's effort to woo back some former distribution partners, I'm led to think that the Hotbot release featuring "standalone Inktomi" is a favor to Ink as well as being a way to test out some new ideas for possible future inclusion in Lycos Search. And perhaps a way to get a few of the cognoscenti interested - for what ultimate purpose, I'm not sure.

Longer term, the cosying up with Inktomi could spell doom for the FAST partnership - or at least create healthy competition.

[Beachboy]

::: Shrug :::

Nice, better than before, but so what? Not a killer concept.

[WibbleWobble]

you must download a browser that supports Web standards.

Thats a fantastic line, really it is.