Visual Search a Design Nightmare

With visual search engines like Redzee appearing on the horizon, the nature of search will be changed. Right now, in regular search results, your site is represented as text consisting of the same alphabet as everyone else. Searchers have to read the description of your site to figure out if they would like to go there. By contrast, a visual search displays a screenshot of the resulting sites, giving the impression that you can tell which sites are better by looking at an image of the site that is reduced to 35% of it’s original size. It is true that if you had been to a site before, but couldn’t remember the exact URL and didn’t bookmark it, you would be able to pick it out easier and faster than a regular search.

But visual search is a marketing bonanza that will be a design nightmare. Design changes will be requested to make the screenshot look more appealing at a reduced size. Pages will take on a more ad-like appearance, since getting people to look at your page is a desired effect, and just placing in the results will get eyes on your site. And if the screenshot is done in a certain manner, just ranking will get your advertising seen.

And how long will it take before pages are optimized to rank for a popular query just to splash spam in your face while you search? The problem is that an image is whatever you tell the machine it is. If you have an image of your product or service and tag it as ‘free ip tv’ then the machine has no recourse than to resort to your designation of what that image is. This is one reason why I don’t trust it when any search engine says they are p*rn free. As long as the machines cannot tell that they are being lied to, people will lie to them.

Freetube – free free free IPTV

Freetube has an outstanding 50+ assortment of channels.

Free it is and while they do not address the legality of the site, they are quick to point out that they are experimenting with social networking, multimedia and technology. Which, in my mind says that they don’t know and don’t care to find out, or are in denial.

My experience there was pretty good. They had just done some upgrades, and although the picture wasn’t HD, it was watchable at a desk, for instance. The link I have here is the family-friendly-filtered version, because that is just me.  Seems they have a good handle on everything except how to get a better video in there, which I am sure they have limited control over anyway.

Wonk’d Out Fahionistas

Inspiring fascination in children can in itself be a very inspiring motivation.  I like these sites because they are fun, but are void of the perilous social aspects like chat.  These are Flash sites, and Wonka requires the newest version.  So be prepared and go get it!

 The Wonka site has games, a newsletter, and chances to win prizes and redeem codes. 

 The Bratzsite is different because in order for the girl to register, a parent must also set up an account.  Although their site has a long way to go before attaining the vitalization of Barbie Girls, it is still very nice.

Speaking of Barbie Girls, it is set to shed its beta status in July – that’s just around the corner!  I am hoping that by October, when I will most likely be purchasing one of the ‘dolls’, all the kinks will be worked out.  One can always hope.

Barbie Virtual World

The battle is forcing some serious innovations from Mattel.  With the launch of Barbie Girls Beta, comes fantastic clothes, funky furniture, and everything comes in pink.  Much less slick than Disney XD, but way more interactive, get your character dressed and ready because she has an apartment to decorate, clothes to buy, pets to adopt, and B bucks to earn and spend.  The mall has a lot more ways to spend your B bucks, but I’ll let you check it out for yourself.  There’s a chat and friend feature, too, which I believe is going to be moderated quite heavily.  I will have to look more into that.  The registration process is simple enough, and your home screen comes complete with a button to send your parents a reminder to get you the flash-drive-in-the-shape-of-a-doll that goes with it.  Thanks, Mattel.  But the one good thing I see coming from this is it might get girls who would otherwise shun a computer as ‘too much science’ into technology.