I reserve using the word cool for select things and seldom attach it to obvious or overly simple solutions. I recently ran into an intriging rediscovery at BlogWorld in L.A. that reminded me of the first the I saw and used Google. The service just coming out of Beta called Blekko and was founded in 2007 and is only now ripening to full blossom in the fall of 2011.
Blekko’s motto is “SLASH THE WEB” It has the potential to reveal data that you could not normally search and find using only keywords. So exactly what does that mean? Blekko is in at its core a search engine, with frills. Check out this video to see what this can do for you. http://blekko.com/ws/+/press-videos
The biggest thing about Blekko is the concept of / slash tags that you create. Slash tags modify your search results and help you zero in and tune out the relevant from the irrelevant and spam. Blekko also helps SEO and site analysis.
Being an instructor who teaches students best practices for searching the web I welcome new players to the Search Engine game. Google has ruled the roost too long and Bing doesn’t have much new to offer.
The service is compelling and powerful once you get your arms around slash tagging. The chosen name on the other hand is dreck, bad choice. Do yourself a favor. Give Blekko a shot and get back at me and let me know what you think. Be sure to try the slashtag creation capability,
Investors foreign and domestic are lining up to cop a piece of the action in case it is a hit or turns out to be the coolest Search Engine You’ve Never Heard.