---
title: "What is a Search Engine – Now and Future"
date: 2007-07-30
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2007"
    url: "/tag/2007.md"
---

# What is a Search Engine – Now and Future

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519174243im_/http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1265/921117158_109344ee00_m.jpg)Read/WriteWeb network blog [AltSearchEngines](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519174243/http://altsearchengines.com/) has launched a fascinating series today. It’s a 3-part series attempting to define [what is a search engine](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519174243/http://altsearchengines.com/2007/07/30/what-is-a-search-engine/). While it’s focused on 2007, the series will also address what a search engine might look like in the future. The first part, entitled **What is a Search Engine?**, is written by Nitin Karandikar. Part II is entitled **What is *Not* a Search Engine?** by Kaila Colbin and will be published tomorrow on ASE. The trilogy will be complete with Charles Knight’s Part III: **What is an Alternative Search Engine?** on Wednesday.

Any of you who have followed closely Charles Knight’s [Top 100 Alternative Search Engines List](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519174243/http://altsearchengines.com/2007/07/02/the-top-100-alternative-search-engines-july-2007/) will enjoy this series.

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519174243im_/http://rww.readwriteweb.netdna-cdn.com/images/altSE_logo.gif)Here is Nitin’s list of essential search engine features **for the future**:

- Personalization (but without storing personal info )
- Social Input / Wisdom-of-Crowds (which has its pitfalls )
- Semantic Processing: of both, the query AND the content (will this let the Search Engine find Answers that we never knew we had?)
- Parametric Input: including freshness, source and domain-specific
- Rich content types: audio, video, images, news, blogs, Ԧ
- UI enhancements: better visualization of results
- Findability support: notifications of interest, a database of intentions
- Follow-up: results clustering and drill-down
- Repeat queries (as Greg Linden points out )
- Trusted sources: e.g. a slider to select the level of trust, from high to low

[Check out the full article](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519174243/http://altsearchengines.com/2007/07/30/what-is-a-search-engine/) and leave a comment on AltSearchEngines about what you think a search engine is – and what it’ll be in the future.

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/what_is_a_search_engine.php))*