MemeWatch: Blog Search Mania

Hate to do two in a row that involve blogs but this one is gaining momentum like a Tour de France rider headed down a clear slope with the peleton closing in. The gist: Blogs generate tons of verbiage. Search engines are supposed to cut through the verbiage to retrieve information we want. The volume of blog posts is overwhelming the blog-centric search engines of Technorati, Bloglines and the like, causing lengthy (in internet time) searches, spotty results and delays in posts showing up if they show up at all.
Jason Calacanis thinks the solution is bringing the big boys off the bench; he even started a petition to get Google and Yahoo to join in. Others say major company entry is inevitable. Doc Searls wants an objective evaluation of “Live Web” search engines. Personally, I had high hopes for the mating of Bloglines and AskJeeves, which has yet to pay off. I also like IceRocket but it doesn’t index enough posts yet to be the primary tool.
At various points, the discussion sounds more like a Technorati smackdown by folks who thought they’d found the Holy Grail and realized it doesn’t have all of its powers. It’s still a work in progress. They all are. This isn’t about frustrated bloggers who can’t get their ego-surfing strokes. (I admit to my share: still, if my posts aren’t there, how complete is the search on another subject?)
It’s about being able to follow the conversation whether it involves you, a subject that interests you, a product or a company. It’s about slicing through clutter and coming up with results that matter.
It’s also a darn good object lesson for start-ups about managing expectations.

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