Bessed, A Different Approach to Human-Powered Search - Bessed at First Glance
(Page 2 of 4 )
Bessed’s home page does not follow the stark model set by Google, nor would it make sense for it to do so. It’s not as cluttered as About.com either though. Here’s a screen shot, somewhat cropped to fit in as much as I could as clearly as I could:
As with many social search engines, Bessed puts new links front and center on the home page, because that’s what’s important to searchers. So let me first draw your attention to the entry that’s just under the search box. It has a title, a link you can click on for more information, another link you can click on to add a comment, and a date. In other words, just as promised, it is formatted like a blog entry.
Since that one looks a little atypical for Bessed results, let’s look at the one just below it. Again, it has a title with keywords, as well as content explaining what the entry is about. It includes links (and tells right at the beginning how many links it includes), each with a sentence or two describing the site. And it solicits users for more links: “Know of another site that should be listed here? Leave your suggestion at the bottom of this page.”
On the right hand side of the home page you’ll find a column that lists popular searches, most recent posts, and (below the “fold”) a section of links that are “Also Important,” which include the FAQ, a link for users to add a URL/suggest a site, RSS feeds for entries and comments (very cool use of that technology, by the way), and other items.
I particularly liked seeing the link to Adam Jusko’s Bessed blog here; it’s good public relations, adds a level of transparency, and certainly lets you know what the founder is thinking. He’s not afraid of wrestling with the hard questions in public, either. He wrote an interesting and insightful entry recently about Bessed receiving its first submission of a URL that goes to a porn site, and the can of worms that would open however it was handled.
Next: Using Bessed >>
More Search Engine News Articles
More By Terri Wells
