MyLive Search

Date August 27, 2007

Live Search

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What a shame. MyLiveSearch.com got a lot of press buzz when it was announced, so I was excited when I received my invitation to its beta program. Supposedly, this is a new method of searching and finding data on the web that will revolutionize computer searching. Not so surprisingly, this new world of data is only available to those with the correct platform: Windows.

As I understand it, the idea is to insert a human middleman between the searcher and the web. I’ve got news for you. If you’re expecting to revolutionize the internet or take anyone by storm, there are a couple of things you’re going to have to change:

  • It’s got to be cross platform. The internet is not a discriminating beast; it’s been built upon platform independence since day one! Take the hint, guys, and build something everyone can use.
  • You can’t require a download. Thick clients are out, web apps are in and here to stay. The fact that a piece of software has to be downloaded to use this service makes it an instant non-starter.
  • It has to be fast. Inserting a human into the process of finding your data is slow. It might benefit your tech illiterate grandmother, but those of us who know how to use Google will continue to do so.

Folks who get excited about search are inherently geeky and in touch with technology. Catering to the lowest common denominator in the tech world is a sure fire way to doom yourself to obscurity, unless you’re not truly trying to revolutionize anything at all. This reminds me of a poorly executed, modern version of the ‘Custom Computer Searches’ brochure that I posted about a few days ago. Check out the post and notice the similarities.

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2 Responses to “MyLive Search”

  1. trex32 said:

    August 28th, 2007 at 9:33 pm

    if you want be inovative, you have to think outside the square.. hence plug in to give you all the benefits of:

    Live search

    Dynamic pages search (which is triple the size of the normal web that the major engines cant really see or seach on!)

    unbiased as it asks the websites it is searching, “what do you think is the best result for my user”, rather than a third party..ie Yahoo telling you what they think..

    Its either a plug in with all this, or its your typical webpage,,google, yahoo etc with all its flaws… Hmm, i wonder which one i should choose.. no comment!!

  2. mshade said:

    August 28th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

    Ok. I understand all the reasons people are excited about this. I’m still saying the execution is poor versus the supposed benefits.

    And I’m still not convinced the average person will get any more out of a ‘Live Search’ than 20 minutes with a Google handbook to be able to perform the same on their own.

    The internet is a tool, and just like any other tool the user must learn its nuances and tricks. It’s always noble to try to make it easier to use, but there comes a point when you can’t cater to the lazy anymore. I think this service borders on crossing that line.