Wow… it’s fast. It’s simple. It works. Google Blog Search, which launched yesterday in beta, is the hottest new blogging tool to be released for us non-techie* types. Why? Two reasons: it’s simple and quick. It instantly returns lots of results when you type in keywords related to blogs you’re looking for. More results than I’ve found on similar searches on Technorati or Blogpulse.
And second, because it searches on RSS feeds. If your blog or site has a feed, Google will, er, google it. If you don’t have a feed… you’re outta luck. You won’t be found.
This is significant. RSS** is key to Web 2.0. The next generation of the Web is all about user-generated content (what blogs are), sharing, collaboration and the ability to organize and manage the overflow of information. RSS will be seamlessly integrated into Internet Explorer 7.0 (now in beta). And, I predict, even better integrated with new releases of Firefox and Safari. The term RSS may fade away to be replaced by “Web feed.” So don’t worry if the acronym leaves you cold.
* The techies are quibbling with the technology behind Google Blog Search. Because a lot of RSS feeds only contain the “summary” of a recent blog entry, Google’s blog search algorithm is missing stuff that’s deeper down in the full version of a blog post. Also, it’s not based on number of incoming links. Finally, the Google blog search tool omits a lot of the (admittedly cool) bells and whistles offered by Technorati and Blogpulse. (Like the top 100 and trend graphs.)
** RSS is a way to get news updates from a site or blog without using email. Most blogs offer an RSS feed. You subscribe to the feeds you’re interested in. And receive the updates – often just the headline and a summary – through a news reader. This can be Web-based or a little application you download to your desktop. RSS readers are also incorporated into some Web browsers. (See above.)
Useful Links
Ask Dave Taylor’s Q & A on How to Use Google Blog Search
Anil Dash on Google’s Blog Search Launch
Forrester’s Charlene Li on Google vs. Technorati, etc.
RSS 101: “Really Simple” 5-Step Guide to Get Started
RSS a Pillar of Microsoft Strategy
On a side note
Colleague and friend Aimee Kessler Evans is Blogger of the Day. Cool… go Aimee!