I've done some searches in MSN tonight and all I got was junk - the first beta version brought up three / four results from the same page within the first page of results.. appears that hasn't being resolved. These results have to be the most unthemed, irrelevant results seen on a search engine. What do all of you think to Google's main competitor? I bet Google are getting very worried
i like the beta. I'm #1 for a word I'm stuck behind the manufacturer in google. I'm #15 for "home & garden" on MSN - 31 on google. I wish I could search a ton of terms at once, like I do here with google; but alas, spot checking is all I got.
Try using it for terms you don't have sites for and see how the results are for you as a user trying to find relevant results. That's what is important.
What's sad is that I don't search online for much anymore. Since I do business online, I am so tired of the internet; that I don't even shop online unless I absolutely have to. Has anyone noticed the sponsored links at top? they redirect thru ads.msn.com - is msn developing its own answer to overture and adwords?
That's my take on it too. I have a standard set of search phrases, some related to my sites, some I commonly use to search for specific information categories. What I see so far on MSN Search, as with the tech preview, is spammy stuff and out of date articles -- in fact some of the same junk I used to see on Google a couple of years ago before it cleaned them out. That's not impressing me so far. And I agree that if I were Google I'd be starting to wonder if I had been worrying about nothing -- "not a bang but a whimper", to take poetic liberties... I also have to say I'm surprised. With Microsoft's resources and the time they've had to throw those resources into developing this search engine, not to mention the relatively active MSNBot, I expected more by now.
I continue to think its fine. Just to make sure, after reading this thread, I looked around my office and picked some items on my desk at random and typed in some search phrases for those items. Everything MSN beta pulled up was relevant and would have satisfied my search as a user. Works for me.
One correction: I just re-read my post above dazzlindonna's. I don't mean to imply it isn't returning relevant results at all -- just that mixed in with the top 20 relevant results are spammy sites and oudtated articles (like Google 2 years ago). Of course, that may well depend on the types of information one is searching for...
As I said a month or so ago, it's not even worth my time. If i want spam, I already have an array of engines to choose from. They have a long way to go and their business model will force them to recognize that (if they even have one that's sensitive to user feedback). The only way they are going to get it anywhere is through marketing. And I'm afraid G has already been there and done that. I just hope they have the common sense to roll out the *real* technology before SEM dependants dive in. Right now, it's a waste of space - so what I want to know is, how the hell are they going to do it ? It won't stand up to the simplest critique. Hell, G can just sit back and watch the coffers churn. There's more to this than meets the key, and, although Goggle wigs have a line on it, the rest of us remain in the dark What do you think Anthonycea ? Cheers, JL
Yeah but really they've had a year and dumptrucks full of money thrown at it and this is the best they could do? You're right, of course, melfan... they may yet get it right. I would have expected them to be a little closer to "right" by now, though.
Oh I won't argue that there aren't spammy sites mixed into the results. But the same happens with Google, Yahoo, and everyone else. Right now, there's not a search engine that I'm aware of that shows perfect results. But the new MSN looks as good to me as any of the others. The only thing I would argue is that if returning some spam mixed in with relevant sites is Junk (title of this thread), then that same title could apply to all the search engines.
Agreed. From my standpoint, Google still beats out the others though. For the searches I do, anyway...
Well I know within the real estate industry, MSN has got rid of the real estate doorway sites and the spam filled link text sites with no real content to offer consumers. I also did a few searchs for things not related to my profession and as a consumer I found them to be very relevant.
Just make sure your sites are optimized for good listings in MSN, since it is true that many users have msn.com set as their default, especially new broadband users. M$ isn't stupid and they will find ways of being popular even if they are not the best. I think this may be their business model: they will find ways of being popular even if they are not the best. LOL
History has shown being the best does not necessarily translate into being #1 in the market place. Remember the Beta vs VHS showdown? If people always chose the best, AOL would be OOL and Gore would be headed for his second term. JMHO, Roger
Yeah, that was a shame... the man did, after all, invent the internet. Then again, Dan Quayle invented the reverse spell-checker and no one wanted him back for another term...
Well as long as they rank my sites high I really dont care how relevant the results are. I can alway use google.