Yahoo Unveils Search Assist, Improves Search - Photos and Other Media
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I was in for a delightful surprise when I did a Beach Boys search to test out some more of Yahoo’s new features. Here’s the screen shot:
Okay, why is this notable? Take a look at the first result. You can click on those links under “Play Popular Songs” and listen to the first verse of each of those songs. While the song is playing, the area you clicked on scrolls information about the song (what album it appeared on, with what record label, that kind of thing). Clicking these links will not take you away from the search results.
And what about those enticing links under the picture of the Beach Boys and the “Watch Music Videos” headline? Well, they don’t all work, but at least some of them do – and again, they don’t take you away from your search results:
Yahoo deserves some credit here. Even after clicking on the small box for the video, it doesn’t launch right away; you still have to click the button on the video screen itself to start it.
This isn’t entirely typical of the way Yahoo presents videos in its search results. Here’s a screen shot for a search on “otters video.”
You can start the video right from the search results. Once again, you don’t go to a different page; instead, a larger screen opens up just below the “play video” image, with AJAX smoothness, and if you choose to close the video, the screen closes the same way.
Let’s see, we’ve covered audio and video, what are we missing? Ah, right, photos! Well, let’s try something simple, then, like motorcycle photos:
The thumbnails are actually a respectable size (this screen shot has been reduced by about a third). If you want to see a larger version of any of these images, however, clicking on them takes you to the original site at which it’s hosted.
Next: Will These Changes Help Yahoo? >>
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