Custom Search Engines (#18)

I found the Google Custom Search Engine much easier to use and understand than Rollyo Search Roll. Didn't have time to play around with them too much (although I did a little). I decided to go right into creating my own custom engine with Google. This was much more difficult for me than I anticipated from the instructions. Part of my problem was trying to figure out which URL's to include in my search engine. I didn't want to include many of the larger ones as I thought that might defeat the purpose. And I had a difficult time with search engine key words (I plan to add more later). So this is what I came up with:

Places to Nosh in Seattle (courtesy of Google)
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=016727378492053632594%3Anolxlfcpkam&hl=en

I tried searching the name of a particular restaurant and it worked!



KCLS Post:
Friday, April 13, 2007
#18 - Search What You Like
This week's lessons are not linked very well thematically - we look at custom search engines today and at the broader themes of 2.0 tomorrow. It is with this in mind that we've decided to skip our regularly scheduled weekly podcast and head straight to the lesson-at-hand.Today's lesson: search what you likeDo you have a group of websites that are your favorites? Or a set of online resources that are similar in scope, that you frequently use to answer homework or reference questions? If you answered yes to either question, a custom search engine may be the tool for you - they search the websites you tell them to search. Nothing more.In today's lesson we'll be looking at two services - Rollyo and Google Custom Search Engine.RollyoFirst off, the originator - Rollyo.It's easy to use - you go to their website, you set up a profile, you add the websites you want to search, you get a permanent URL for your new search engine (these are called 'search rolls'). You can even invite friends or colleagues to add sites to the search engine. Or add a search box to your blog.The drawback? Rollyo is funded by sponsored search results - you'll see these in your results. There are hundreds of interesting Rollyo search rolls out there already. These range from the library-centric (Library Organizations, Public Domain eBooks), to the politically-charged (the left and the right), to the utterly obsessive (Everything Star Wars), to just about anything else.Google Custom Search EngineAnd then there's this little software company in California - it's called Google. Google has a relatively new service they're calling the Google Custom Search Engine. The concept is the same - you set up an account, create a custom search, add sites to it, and receive a permanent URL for easy access. Their service carries a pleasant benefit for we Learning 2.0 participants - you can use the same Google ID you've already set up for blogging.Some existing search site examples include an Independent Film Search, a Wine Search Engine and quite a few others.But which one should you use? That's what today's Discovery Exercise is all about - it's a custom search engine show-down...Part 1: Compare the resultsWe've created a 'KCLS & Neighbors' search in Rollyo and Google - both search the KCLS website as well as those of neighboring library systems (SPL, Sno-Isle, and Tacoma Public).
Head over to our Rollyo Search Roll (this will open in a separate window) and try a few searches. On what? How about library card applications or branch locations or gaming programs.
Head over to our Google Custom Search Engine (this will open in a separate window) and run the same searches.
Which did you like better?Part 2: Make Your OwnChoose the custom search tool you like best and create your own.If you choose Rollyo:
Register
Create a search roll for any subject you like.If you choose Google Custom Search Engine:
Sign in with your Google ID and set things upIn both cases:Create a post in your blog about your experience and link to your search roll. Can you see a potential use for tools like this?And that, everyone, is all for today - have fun searching.Next up: More 2.0 than you ever imagined...
Posted by KCLS Learning 2.0 at 2:53 PM 0 comments
Tags: custom search engines, google, rollyo, search