42244

econsultancy_xml

This is certainly something worth aiming for, as many other blog search results are blighted by the amount of splogs (spam blogs) which are indexed. We have previously <a href="/blog/480-blog-growth-dips-as-technorati-tackles-splog-problem">criticised Technorati</a> for this, while Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg recently estimated that <a href="/blog/2235-wordpress-30-of-blogs-are-splogs">30% of blogs on his platform are splogs</a>. How does it work? Even Google's Blog Search throws up its fair share of spam, so how can <a href="http://beta.twingly.com/search">Twingly </a>succeed where other blog search engines have failed? The Swedish company's approach is not to index every blog it can find, and then try to filter the spam out, but rather to index only the blogs that are proven to be genuine, good quality sources. Twingly then extends its reach by indexing blogs that have been linked to by the 'quality' sources, based on the assumption that these blogs would not link to splogs. This makes the blog search 99.9% spam-free, according to Twingly. In addition to this method, users can vote for quality blogs, and submit spammy blogs to be reviewed by the search engine. What about the results? So far, so good. I've taken a look at blog search results for a number of terms, and have not come across any splogs at all yet. Not every blog was top quality, but at least the results were not full of spam. <img alt="Twingly search: iphone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2400981308_7ec12ee2ac_o.jpg" /> This may not be the most scientific method but, for comparison, a similar search on Technorati for the term 'iPhone' reveals a number of spam blogs in the top 30 results. One other feature of Twingly which is worth mentioning is the screensaver you can download from the site: <img alt="Twingly screensaver" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2119/2400149469_105af546aa_o.jpg" /> The screensaver provides a visual representation of blogging activity around the world, plotting posts on the globe as they appear in real time. Of course, Twingly is indexing a far smaller number of blogs, so it will be interesting to see whether it can expand its reach and still keep the results spam-free. But the results so far are promising. Related stories: <a href="/blog/2343-does-blogging-kill">Does blogging kill?</a> <a href="/blog/2005-technorati-relaunches-website-again">Technorati relaunches website (again)</a> <a href="/blog/357-are-inbound-links-the-best-way-to-measure-a-blog-s-influence">Are inbound links the best way to measure a blog’s influence?</a>

<FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph>This is certainly something worth aiming for, as many other blog search results are blighted by the amount of splogs (spam blogs) which are indexed. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>We have previously <Link URL="/blog/480-blog-growth-dips-as-technorati-tackles-splog-problem" Window="Self">criticised Technorati</Link> for this, while Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg recently estimated that <Link URL="/blog/2235-wordpress-30-of-blogs-are-splogs" Window="Self">30% of blogs on his platform are splogs</Link>. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>How does it work?</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Even Google's Blog Search throws up its fair share of spam, so how can <Link URL="http://beta.twingly.com/search" Window="Self">Twingly </Link>succeed where other blog search engines have failed? </Paragraph> <Paragraph>The Swedish company's approach is not to index every blog it can find, and then try to filter the spam out, but rather to index only the blogs that are proven to be genuine, good quality sources. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Twingly then extends its reach by indexing blogs that have been linked to by the 'quality' sources, based on the assumption that these blogs would not link to splogs. This makes the blog search 99.9% spam-free, according to Twingly.</Paragraph> <Paragraph>In addition to this method, users can vote for quality blogs, and submit spammy blogs to be reviewed by the search engine. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>What about the results? </Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>So far, so good. I've taken a look at blog search results for a number of terms, and have not come across any splogs at all yet. Not every blog was top quality, but at least the results were not full of spam. </Paragraph> <Paragraph Align="Center"> <Image AlternateText="Twingly search: iphone" Source="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2400981308_7ec12ee2ac_o.jpg"> </Image> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>This may not be the most scientific method but, for comparison, a similar search on Technorati for the term 'iPhone' reveals a number of spam blogs in the top 30 results. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>One other feature of Twingly which is worth mentioning is the screensaver you can download from the site:</Paragraph> <Paragraph Align="Center"> <Image AlternateText="Twingly screensaver" Source="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2119/2400149469_105af546aa_o.jpg"> </Image> </Paragraph> <Paragraph> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>The screensaver provides a visual representation of blogging activity around the world, plotting posts on the globe as they appear in real time. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Of course, Twingly is indexing a far smaller number of blogs, so it will be interesting to see whether it can expand its reach and still keep the results spam-free. But the results so far are promising. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Related stories:</Emphasis> <LineBreak /> <Link URL="/blog/2343-does-blogging-kill" Window="Self">Does blogging kill?</Link> <LineBreak /> <Link URL="/blog/2005-technorati-relaunches-website-again" Window="Self">Technorati relaunches website (again)</Link> <LineBreak /> <Link URL="/blog/357-are-inbound-links-the-best-way-to-measure-a-blog-s-influence" Window="Self">Are inbound links the best way to measure a blog’s influence?</Link> </Paragraph> </FormattedContent>

2008-04-09T12:28:00+01:00

econsultancy_xml

Twingly is a new, European blog search engine which has just launched in beta. It aims to beat its rivals by providing "spam-free" results. <img alt="Twingly blog search" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2400899184_0c12b67d9e_o.jpg" />

<FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Twingly is a new, European blog search engine which has just launched in beta. It aims to beat its rivals by providing "spam-free" results.</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph Align="Center"> <Image AlternateText="Twingly blog search" Source="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2400899184_0c12b67d9e_o.jpg"> </Image> </Paragraph> </FormattedContent>

false 2356

For background on online PR and social media more generally, It's worth reading our (free to registered users) <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/online-pr-and-social-media-trends-briefing">Social Media Trends Briefing</a> (June 2009). Econsultancy has also published <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/social-media-and-online-pr-digital-marketing-template-files">Social Media and Online PR Template Files</a>, which you can adapt and use for your own projects. For innovation in this space, download our <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/innovation-report">Innovation Report</a>.

365413

Twingly - a 'spam-free' blog search engine false

2008-04-09T15:15:00+01:00

twingly-a-spam-free-blog-search-engine

2009-04-29T21:03:15+01:00

2009-10-13T09:36:16+01:00

1083