I started testing the new Technorati searchlet in January. This is a bit of code you stick on your blog that gives you a Technorati-based search capability for your blog.
It’s at the top right of this page, just beneath the regular search box.
I”m actually not sure how it works compared to the Google-based search I have as it’s never worked. If you type in a keyword, any word, and have it search for that on this blog, you’re likely to get no results.
For example, if you type in the keyword ‘RSS’ and have it search this blog, it will say no results. If you type that same keyword into the normal search box, you will get over 690 results. A bit of a discrepancy, wouldn’t you say?
So why would I replace my effective Google-based search function with this useless one? I emailed Technorati support at the end of January to find out. Finally, a reply yesterday, nearly five weeks later:
Hi Technorati User,
Currently our searchlet feature is broken. It will do searches but it will bring back all the results from our indexes instead of just a single site. We are working as quickly as possible to fix this and will update you when we have resolved the issue. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.
Thanks for using Technorati!
A zero result on “bringing back all the results from our indexes” isn’t very encouraging and certainly not a result you would trust. And taking over a month to respond isn’t too good, either.
Hopefully they’ll fix it soon so I can try it out to see how it actually works. Maybe.
Technorati search, Google search… If they both worked more or less the same, which one would you choose? Personal preference would play a role here no doubt, but more over-riding, I suspect, would be the feeling of trust – which one do you believe would be the one that you feel does the job well.
That’s no contest at the moment.
Neville Hobson is the author of the popular NevilleHobson.com blog which focuses on business communication and technology.
Neville is currentlly the VP of New Marketing at Crayon. Visit Neville Hobson’s blog: NevilleHobson.com.
