Meta Engines the future?

Are metas the future or will the bots beat them off

[IanTurner]

Are the meta engines just mooning in the mist, or dogs scrabbling around in the pile of bones cast off by the majors. Or could it be that they will be that ix bit too quick for the lumbering portals and maybe will become the mamma of all the bots?

(Is the future a meta algorithm or a good single algorithm)

[rcjordan]

Since the metas must get permission to use the information collected by those they spider, they are going to be relegated to 'also-rans'. Notice that you don't see Google results on many (any?), there's a reason for that.

[IanTurner]

That was my initial thought, but to use an analogy the meta's are like the supermarkets delivering the goods to the consumer. If to continue that analogy the Google's of this world are like the farmer - producing - then at the moment the meta's are forced to pay the price of the producer, but if they are successful then they may move into the position we have today where the supermarket forces the producers prices down to where they are barely making a living.

[NFFC]

>analogy

I see it more that the webmasters are the farmers, Google the supermarket and the meta's the consumers, you catch my drift. :)

[rcjordan]

>you catch my drift
>
Somehow, I knew you'd be first in on that one, NF.

>they are successful then they may move into the position
>
I just don't see it. If anyone should have pulled off some serious market share, it should have been Dogpile, IMO... but they're less significant now. Loaded w/ PPC sludge. Personally, I think ixquick is good. But without google, it's seriously lacking... and google knows it.

[IanTurner]

Neat change of analogy NFFC.

My view is that you are right = if Google can hold its position and not bow to comercial pressure then things may hold together.

Google is however under pressure from Fast which may change this.

If there is any kind of Fast / Google alliance then I think the metas have no chance - if the metas can split this then maybe they have the crack which can be exploited