New MSN Search

article about a new "improved" search on msn

[webdevsf]

[news.com.com...]

Anyone have a link for the new search? And BTW, Brett - shouldn't MSN have it's own category by now?

[agerhart]

shouldn't MSN have it's own category by now?

I can't speak for Brett, but I certainly don't think so. Although MSN is a good search engine referral source, they still use search results from Inktomi and LookSmart.

[Brad]

"Improving" MSN? Does this mean they are finally dumping L$? ;)

[webguybri]

[beta.search.msn.com...]

i just guessed at it ;o)

[korkus2000]

That beta has old LookSmart results and ink with no difference.

[webguybri]

well i dont know if this is the one but it looks alot better than what they have now.

[Jillibert]

I see only Looksmart results and NO results from OVER when i do some searches.

Does everyone else see the same?

[steveb]

I get an original page saying 465 (or whatever) results that are all looksmart, but when clicking through then get to Ink results. For obscure searches it will show one or two LS results then Ink, just like what is there now.

[Jillibert]

Are you using the "beta" site?

I still do not see OVER results but still only see Looksmart links in directory results.

The sponsored links appear to be MSN's

[jimbeetle]

I see the same old stuff. Still 20 pages of LS results for a main keyword search before the Ink listings.

[msr986]

I'm more interested in the snippet from the article:

The changes come only days before chief rival Yahoo is expected to outline plans for an updated search service at its annual conference with financial analysts. Part of the announcement may cover Yahoo's designs for its proposed acquisition of Inktomi...

I wonder what Y! will announce?

[Learning Curve]

I hope Y! announces that they're starting their own PPC system. That would give me 6 months or more of cheap clicks before the muggles get in.

[egomaniac]

> shouldn't MSN have it's own category by now?

I think it should.

MSN has always tweaked the LS results. You can be #1 in an LS search, and then be #8 in a MSN search.

Soon MSN may dump INK since Yahoo bought them.

MSN also represents 25-30% of web searches.

There's enough unique and wierd things about MSN that it would be helpful to have its own forum.

[rfgdxm1]

I tend to agree about MSN having its own forum. According to my site logs, behind Google/Yahoo/AOL MSN is the only source of hits really worth mentioning. Everything else is barely on the map.

[steveb]

I wish there was an MSN forum. MSN search is not looksmart and it is not Inktomi. If those two were even in the same category themselves there wouldn't be a problem but MSN discussions have no real home now. And MSN is the only non-Google-esque search provider to really matter these days, which makes it a bit odd that blips like Fast and Teoma have forums but MSN doesn't.

[chiyo]

Im pretty sure MSN does not have its own forum because it does not have its own database. So going well in MSN has more to do how well you go in their provider's databases, with some differences of course.

However a lot has changed in the past couple of years, with a lot more sharing if databases. Y! at present is highly influenced by Google as we know together with some influence from their own directory. But now they truly do have their own non-directory database with the acquisition of inktomi. Before Y! forum discussion was mainly about PayForReview issues. Its a bit more complicated now, and maybe it is a time to consider having a diff MSN forum. I'm not convinced personally but its worth a consideration.