After weeks of reading about Blogs, folks have been left wondering where they could find ones that meet their interests. Enter the new Blog Search Engine, “… a web search resource for finding web logs.”, created by Search Engine Journal’s Loren Baker. Earlier today, the Blog SE announced a partnership to provide Blog and MoBlog results to Mark Cuban’s search engine Ice Rocket. (A MoBlog is a “mobile blog” consisting of images captured by mobile phones)
A search tool for Blog entries was necessitated by the rapid growth of the “blogosphere” over the past twelve months. Although it is a relatively new medium, hundreds of thousands of blogs have been established over the past year.
The front page of the blog Search Engine is deceptively sparse as noted by their motto, “Simplicity in Blog Search”. Random searches under a variety of keyword phrases produced several surprisingly relevant listings for each phrase. That’s where the simplicity ends. There are a lot of bloggers out there and the Blog Search Engine updates itself by the minute. Rankings are based on date and time, and then on keywords found in specific blog entries. Under very general terms readers may have to dig to find results that interest them. Fortunately, the Blog Search Engine also comes in a directory format. A link from the front page leading to a directory of Blogs (http://www.blogsearchengine.com/directory.html), reveals a much larger world of information and resources. I found it much easier to hone in on sites relating to specific business sectors through the directory.
Webmasters are invited to submit their blogs for free review and inclusion by filling out a quick submission form. As most are updated daily, the Blog Search Engine updates itself minute by minute, spidering and trolling RSS feeds and syndication sites. The MoBlog tool is interesting as well, providing global search access to images taken minutes before. (It is worth noting that Blogs are highly personal spaces and results may include images that are not appropriate for work environments.)
Jim Hedger has written a widely read search marketing column for over five years. Co-host of Webcology on WebmasterRadio.FM, Jim is a writer and SEO consultant with Metamend Search Engine Marketing in Victoria BC.
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