Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 47 posts

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#31

Post by ElbertF »

greglindahl wrote: post #11
ElbertF wrote: post #7

I was surprised to finally see my own blog showing up in the results when I googl-, err, searched for my own name. But then I searched for "name /blog" and my blog disappeared. It did however show an irrelevant GitHub page with a pull request I once submitted. So it seems to work for rough searches but refining needs some... Refining. I won't be making the switch today.

Assuming you mean elbertf.com, I filed a bug. We did recognize it as a WordPress blog, but for some reason the front page is getting a poor rank with /blog and is OK without it. BTW, you can send bug reports like this to support@blekko.com.

Thanks, that's the one!

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#33

Post by lusr »

TheBurningOr wrote: post #18

I tried Blekko for a bit this past fall and was not terribly impressed. I, frankly, don't understand what the /slash notation is doing. is it a filter? Is it a specific type of search? However, I have been using DuckDuckGo almost exclusively for the past 2 months and I'm not sure that I'll be going back anytime soon. DDG is touted as being for the privacy conscious, but I can't say that was my primary motivation in s…

Hmmm I wasn't too impressed with DDG results in the past. I just tried it again with "efficient self organising maps implementation". The DDG results are completely useless nevermind almost totally irrelevant to my query. Then I remembered American English spelling and tried again with "organizing". DDG results improved, but the fact I have to remember such details is annoying (I don't with Google, Yahoo or Bing).

Having run the query on the other engines, Google & Bing are on par (I use Google exclusively but should probably check Bing from time to time), Yahoo 2nd most useful (somewhat generic results, though), DDG 3rd (student projects in the search results vs. published papers in the other engine results, results that are overly broad) and Blekko the worst (it seems to just pump out results with one or two of the words I queried, no concept of relevance).

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#34

Post by kennywinker »

somestuff wrote: post #26
kennywinker wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with the sentiment, but "Google execs knowingly assisting illegal operations peddling illicit drugs from manufactures unknown?" I think it's more like Google knowingly helping people bypass the pharmaceutical equivalent of DVD Region-coding. The drugs people were buying were the same stuff you guys get down there in the states, they were just available for cheaper because Canadians pay less for drugs. It's al…

When medication does not go through legit supply channels you cannot trust the product, accountability is gone. Trusting illicit pharma spammers to source legit medication is laughable. Edit: Not laughable, horrific and sad.

I don't want to conflate the whole Canadian pharmacy thing with criminal activities related to buying drugs online. The fact is there are Canadian pharmacies that are licensed by the gov., and only sell legit products, and they do it online. As a Canadian, if I buy them it's basically the same as popping down to the Pharmaprix and shopping there.

If an American buys from one of them they are making a safe purchase IMO, but breaking drug importation laws put in place more to protect the bottom lines of drug companies then to protect the consumer.

Now if a canadian or an american buys drugs online without reasonable assurances they're dealing with a reputable company... well that is stupid/sad/dangerous as you said.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#35

Post by yalimkgerger »

greglindahl wrote: post #23
yalimkgerger wrote: post #19

Funny you asked. I signed up couple of days ago, deciding that slash tags should be the best way to get rid of all the crap in google's search results. I was a little confused though. Does Blekko expect me to choose which slash tag I want to use for my query? If that is the case, I think it will be hard for them to go mainstream. I can do it, no problem. But an average user will not be able to. I was expecting some s…

Have you tried blekko? We suggest slashtags as you type, we suggest more slashtags after you've searched, and we often automatically add slashtags to your search if you didn't specify one. Most of the /blekko slashtags (the most visible) ones are build by a combination of our in-house content team, and subject-matter experts -- the /health slashtag has an outside editor who's a medical librarian at a major teaching h…

Yes I did. And I will continue using it. I guess my point is that a user should not even be aware of the fact that you use slash tags. I mean who cares what technology you use to give better results? Let that be a power user thing.

I also don't get the Facebook integration. Especially in your case. Your focus is on great content. Facebook is junk as far as content is concerned. Before Facebook I used to receive stupid emails with links to funny videos, cartoons and jokes that I'd immediately delete. I have not been receiving them for a few years because all of that stupidity went to Facebook, thank God. What valuable result do you expect to retrieve from there?

Given Blekko's focus on content quality and relevancy, I'd expect integration with Twitter if you really feel like you must do something on that front. Or integration with anything that people subscribe to for great content. RSS feeds come to mind. I don't know if this is possible but an integration with Google Reader would be beneficial for me. You may also try to add social features to your site such as an RSS reader that you can use to integrate to your search results. Again, I don't think this is such a big deal but if you are spending resources on integrating to Facebook, you might be better off spending them on integration with Twitter and the like.

Just my two cents. Like I said, I love you guys and I think categorizing and curating content on the Internet is the way to go.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#36

Post by somestuff »

kennywinker wrote: post #34
somestuff wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When medication does not go through legit supply channels you cannot trust the product, accountability is gone. Trusting illicit pharma spammers to source legit medication is laughable. Edit: Not laughable, horrific and sad.

I don't want to conflate the whole Canadian pharmacy thing with criminal activities related to buying drugs online. The fact is there are Canadian pharmacies that are licensed by the gov., and only sell legit products, and they do it online. As a Canadian, if I buy them it's basically the same as popping down to the Pharmaprix and shopping there. If an American buys from one of them they are making a safe purchase IM…

That is where Google crossed the line into being evil, bypassing their own internal checks and regulations accepting cash for ads to sites that never were associated with any real pharmacy or any product at all. Judging by Glavmed's success and shadier sites with shop fronts calling themselves "Canadian" this is totally not isolated to one paid snitch.

These rogue pharmas source from India for generics, wherever they can to buy branded narcotics, and lord knows where for counterfeit opiates/benzos. Real Canadian pharmacies used to be more directly involved selling to the US, including narcotics, but that was years ago. The dirty bit is not at the pharmacy selling to people with prescriptions but those knowingly diverting to unscripted use, or the mules who use doctors to fill out scripts that then get sold. Then at the pharma affiliate networks paying spammers for traffic. Spammers paying google for adverts pointing to shop fronts. GOOGLE ACCEPTING CASH AND BYPASSING THEIR CHECKS THAT SEE IF ALL THE ACTORS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY ARE LEGIT who then post the adverts to the shop fronts who may or may not be listed as Canadian who may or may not be sourcing via legal means from what may or may not be a Canadian pharmacy.

Krebsonsecurity.com has multiple write-ups on these types of operations which use advertisers like Google for traffic. In this case though Google employees at multiple levels went beyond just being a provider of traffic to being an co-partner in the conspiracy.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#37

Post by rkalla »

btubbs wrote: post #5

I hadn't heard of Blekko, so I Googled it, but I accidentally typed it "blekki". Google autocorrected it, and Blekko was still the top result. That didn't happen on Blekko. I got a lot of results about Bill Lekki. Then a few minutes later the results changed and the Wikipedia page for Blekko was the top result. Weird.

Looks like the Blekko team was watching this thread and probably the traffic in-bound from it and (maybe) tweaking on the fly.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#38

Post by rkalla »

zaknanny wrote: post #14

What are Blekko's thoughts on 'do no evil'? If they get popular, would they fall into the same trap that Google has, or would they stay pure?

This is an impossible-to-answer question. I do NOT speak for the Blekko company, but while they are small and making $100,000s or millions it is easy to say "We are free, no spying!" (same for DDG).

As soon as you take Blekko public and they are making BILLIONS and beholden to stock holders, they won't have a choice but to slowly roll that back just like we are seeing with Google.

The market won't let Google stay ambivalent; not with all that potential for profit.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#39

Post by vasundhar »

rkalla wrote: post #38
zaknanny wrote: post #14

What are Blekko's thoughts on 'do no evil'? If they get popular, would they fall into the same trap that Google has, or would they stay pure?

This is an impossible-to-answer question. I do NOT speak for the Blekko company, but while they are small and making $100,000s or millions it is easy to say "We are free, no spying!" (same for DDG). As soon as you take Blekko public and they are making BILLIONS and beholden to stock holders, they won't have a choice but to slowly roll that back just like we are seeing with Google. The market won't let Google stay amb…

I don't subscribe to your way of thinking, I think if they could have they would have already. It is true that there will be some resistance from established organisations like google/yahoo/msn but don't forget they came out of competition themselves and this is just one dimension of possible competing forces.

With more awareness and need to be private and isolated there are enough people subscribing to the thought and Change is clearly seen in number of twitter/facebook/ or Anti Google protests happening.

Unless Google comes up with a private search, Which I don't see happening, There is no problem what so ever for the DDG and Blekko.

There is one interesting blog http://bit.ly/HBR_Blog3 which actually contradicts the conventional wisdom to follow shareholders blindly.

Love to hear from you Vasundhar Boddapati

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using Blekko instead of Google?

#40

Post by greglindahl »

yalimkgerger wrote: post #35
greglindahl wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried blekko? We suggest slashtags as you type, we suggest more slashtags after you've searched, and we often automatically add slashtags to your search if you didn't specify one. Most of the /blekko slashtags (the most visible) ones are build by a combination of our in-house content team, and subject-matter experts -- the /health slashtag has an outside editor who's a medical librarian at a major teaching h…

Yes I did. And I will continue using it. I guess my point is that a user should not even be aware of the fact that you use slash tags. I mean who cares what technology you use to give better results? Let that be a power user thing. I also don't get the Facebook integration. Especially in your case. Your focus is on great content. Facebook is junk as far as content is concerned. Before Facebook I used to receive stupi…

You can turn any search result into an rss feed with /rss, and put that into Google Reader or your favorite rss reader (I use NewsBlur.) This works best with date-sorted searches.

If you survey your friends about Facebook, you'll find that many of them like the idea of seeing their friends' likes and comments in searches. Personally, I don't like it, so I clicked "No Facebook" in the prefs.

Post reply on HN