June 08, 2010
SortFix Redesign
SortFix has a visual interface to help users construct queries by putting words into baskets. This is a redesign that includes more engines and a more serious look (no cartoon figures).
SortFix will suggest some "power words", which you may drag to the basket for Add-to-search or Remove. A dictionary box will look up the meaning.
There are algorithms in the background to propose these power words. From the About page - "by scanning and examining the results, it reveals the significant keywords and terms that will help you to define a better question." The effectiveness of this search engine hinges on those power words. They perform a function similar to clusters at iSeek or Yippy (Clusty). I'm not sure they do as well - it depends on how "intelligent" the semantic analysis is.
Search engine choices include Google, Twitter, Bing, YouTube, and images (unspecified source)
The FAQ tells us a bit about how to use the baskets and power words. Unfortunately, it does not answer it's own question on the possibility of removing good results when using Remove. This is the danger in making Remove such a large part of the search approach.
Results can be tweeted, posted to Facebook, or shared through Google Buzz.
I suspect SortFix will appeal mostly to the younger set - especially judging from the demo which is a bit looney tunes. Being able to move the words into and out of boxes to construct the search is a very strong feature - and does encourage longer queries. The power words, however, are not really being pulled from the underlying concepts - they seem mainly to be prominent words on a selected set of results rather than a way to disambiguate results according to meaning. I also question the prominence given to Remove - there are better techniques for refining a search.
Posted by Gwen at June 8, 2010 12:31 PM