Google SearchWiki
Yesterday Google launched their new SearchWiki feature. I don’t know that this will be particularly useful for me as most my searches are one-time searches but if you make regular searches on a topic you can now personalize the search results so they show the results you would like to see in the order you would like to see.
I have heard requests for this feature for some time but for me I am not sure I really like it. For one, it has an impact on SEO although this is minimal today if this feature grows it could potentially be hard to get your site on the first page if a number of users have ranked their favorite results for that topic. In addition it could limit a users discovery of new content.
Here is an example from Google on the new technology.
Let me know what your thoughts are about the new SearchWiki feature. Read what Google had to say at: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/searchwiki-make-search-your-own.html
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I think it’s going to be very interesting how this new feature (and others) will impact search results in 2009. There were a few very interesting interviews from Pubcon last week that talked about the personalization of search results. I agree that it could have a negative effect on the user experience in regards to limiting new search results based on past search results and preferences. I could see how this could be a positive search experience for those that want quick search results based on an action (where is my favorite pizza joint, bookstore, etc.) However, my gut instinct is that most searches are based on wanting to discover new information rather than find results from an existing body of information based on what you already know.