A while ago, I introduced a Google Custom Search box on this site that searched all the major knowledge management and technology sites. I’ve received a few messages asking me where that box went.
So you’ll be happy to know (admit it, you’re happy) that I’ve reintroduced Google Custom Search. The idea behind this search box is to extend search beyond Uncommon Knowledge to other KM- and technology-specific sites. The search box is at the top of the sidebar on every page (if you’re reading via RSS, please just visit the site).
Google Custom Search basically prioritizes sites that you include in a predefined search engine (which now includes supplemental results). If you’re interested in learning more about Google Custom Search, check out Google’s description of how the service works.
Here’s a listing of the sites that the search engine is currently searching, along with the refinements (included at the top of the results page) that apply to each site.
www.lucasmcdonnell.com (knowledge management, technology)
www.techdirt.com (technology)
www.slashdot.org (technology)
www.steptwo.com.au (knowledge management)
www.taxonomywarehouse.com (knowledge management)
www.km.gov (knowledge management)
www.brint.com (knowledge management)
www.destinationkm.com (knowledge management)
www.knowledgeboard.com (knowledge management)
www.kmworld.com (knowledge management)
www.boxesandarrows.com (technology)
www.wired.com (technology)
news.com.com (technology)
www.ikmagazine.com (knowledge management)
www.techcrunch.com (technology)
www.arstechnica.com (technology)
www.cio.com (technology)
www.theregister.co.uk (technology)
www.iainstitute.org (technology)
Do you find this search feature useful? Leave a comment and let me know if there’s a site you’d like to see in this list — if it’s on topic, I’ll make sure it gets included.
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February 27th, 2007 at 10:58 am
What a great way to find specific info on specific topics.
Is there a way to make this type of search available to a wider range of users who may not necessarily have prior knowledge of this site in particular? This type of customized search would be very useful to people who may not be familiar with a topic, but still allow them to obtain quality information.
February 27th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Good question Stephanie. The homepage for search engines you create through Google Coop (you can check out the homepage for the Uncommon Knowledge search engine as an example) allows you to give access to your search engine without it living on a specific site.
Other people can even embed your search engine into their sites if they like it (you can see the embed for the Uncommon Knowledge search engine here). I should have mentioned that in the post. Thanks for your comment!
February 27th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
I’ll have to explore this Google coop thing a bit more.
One more question….The Google coop page isn’t clear on how to search for the various search engines that people have provided on specific topics. Any suggestions?
February 28th, 2007 at 9:12 am
You can take a look at Google’s picks for search engines, but I don’t actually know of any way for you to search for custom search engines — which seems kind of odd considering that Google’s business is search. It would be great to have a way to search all the search engines people have created.