RSSGoogle adds suggestion ability to its Web site query line
By Tim Conneally | Published August 26, 2008, 6:02 PM
Google has launched Suggest, a search feature that offers query suggestions as the user types in the search field.
A full year after Yahoo's Search Assist was launched, Google has its own brand for a very similarly behaving predictive text search tool. Granted, the Google Toolbar already had a similar feature, and it has existed in Google Labs for a considerable period of time, but it is now a default feature on Google's main page.
Suggestions are based upon query popularity, so when the smallest amount of input is entered in the search bar, the most popular terms are yielded. As more variables are entered, the more specific the suggestions become.
On the official Google blog today, Suggest is touted as a feature that would come in especially handy when trying to find the artist and song title based only upon lyrics heard.
So BetaNews did a test to see how long it would take for Google to suggest exactly what we were looking for. In this case, it was a truncated Bible passage popularized by 60's pop group The Byrds: "A time to be born, a time to die."
What we typed What Google suggested "a" Amazon "a t" A to G "a ti" - "a time to" A time to kill "a time to b" - "a time to be" A time to be so small lyrics "a time to be b" A time to be born lyrics
When the top suggestion is clicked and searched, the number one result provides an answer...ironically on a Yahoo Answers page. But that is simply a noteworthy anomaly to an otherwise effective use for Google Suggest.
I guess it's more of a necessity than innovation. Once users get used to it, most users would see it as an integral part of the system.
No one would really bother to worry about who actually invented it rather go with the one that works better. And google has a reputation to make things work better.
GulfSpecials
www.GulfSpecials.com
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|Gee, I wonder how much money google charges those idiots that pay to have their name come up?
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|lol, Yahoo has this and has had it for some time. Google is running out of ideas it seems.Where is the innovation? its safe and well at Camp Yahoo
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|Yeah....right.
Did you read the article? Google's had it for years, albeit in it's "lab".
labs.google.com
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|How accurate could it be if the search data is distributed across the nation? This seems a little bit like catch-up
(or should it be ketchup?) :)
http://afewtips.com
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|How soon before we get to see sponsored listings next to suggested links?
GulfSpecials
www.GulfSpecials.com
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|Waa waaa, the free services offered to me showed me ads so that they can make money and stay in business. waaa.
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|I can see this being problematic if they don't filter the suggestions to keep them clean.
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|yeah, same here ... I was wondering how they would account for flagging those* searches.
probably the same way they filter adult images and such.
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|pus
Top result: Pushing Daisies (TV show)
I think they have it covered.
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|waaa waaa, i wanted to learn about donkeys....and I did...but not in the way I had intended.
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|This is actually a great addition to Google. Firefox already uses suggestion on its main interface. It's great to know that I don't just have to use that.
Yahoo had the right idea and so does Google. It saves time, most definitely. This will enhance Google's user base exponentially. If users switched from Google to Yahoo for the Search Assist, they will probably switch back. I would.
MyBloggSpot
http://timbrazer.com
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|*Sigh* I hate autocompletes.
It's not on Google.co.uk yet so I can have one last day of happiness.
Also: the suggestion thingy isn't on the page after you've done your first search.
Also also: how are they ordering the results?
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|The best thing about autocomplete is that you can ignore it if you want to...
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|If anything involving a search engine controls your happiness, you need to go outside and do some soul searching....or get laid.
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|Indeed, I bet you can turn it off too!
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