Have you ever had this problem that while searching you did not reach satisfying results and you did not know what other words you could use to get more precise results? It  is quite often problem I guess. One of the possible solutions is using different kinds of vocabularies, like synonyms. However there are some tools that you can use with pleasure to inspire yourself while working on specific query.

First one is Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus, created in cooperation with EU. It is a multilingual tool (english, german, duth, italian, spanish and french, although english version is most developed) that enables user to see the hierarchy of words related to searched term. User gets map of related words, brenches, synonyms, definitions and subcategories. It was developed as a language learning tool - that is why except for map of words user gets also a lot of grammatical information, but thanks to its innovativeness and usability of knowledge user can expand his or her knowledge about query that is currently conducted. There is just one drawback of Visual Thesaurus - it is a paid service, without paying user can go only with few queries.

Second tool is a Visuword application, developed by Princeton students and researchers. Main idea is simmilar, but… Visuwords presents the map of associations with complete information on the matter of various associations - by arrows in different colours user can lear if the result means for example: word A “is a member of” word B, A “causes” B etc. In visuwords results are also presented in form of thinkmap, after putting cursor on specific node of net of words user get additional information on this word.

Such tools are useful on stage of planning the query before you really start searching. It helps to organize knowledge for analyzing the data you have already gathered, get fresh ideas by expanding the view on particular topic - there can always exist some aspects you did not take into account.

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Junoba is a head’n’shoulders of search engines - it is a 2 in 1 application. One of its functions is aggregation of social bookmarking services topics and the other one is ability to search through these services. Among them user can find Digg, Yahoo Buzz, Delicious, Reddit, Propeller and Mixx. It does not work on any new algorhtym, but it uses Google Custom Search technology. It is another decent initiative that uses GCS tools - recently I wrote about KidRex that is also based on Google Custom Search.

Idea of searching through web 2.0 services is not new, I bet that everybody interested in SE business can name at least few engines that search through social web services. However searching through bookmarking services is fresh idea. It is a great tool to get information a little bit different to mainstream media news. Junoba can help in reducing the meaning of agenda setting effect - users can learn which opinions are really popular on specific fields.

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Sagoon is a search engine geared towards delivering information from all around the world and segregating it into categories such as: web, news, images, quotes, topics. At first glance there’s nothing special, is it? There are to things that enable to distinguish Sagoon from other SEs. First it is a pleasent, clear, spatial and friendly interface, that encourages to use it.

Second thing is, or rather are search results of high quality. Sagoon bases on its own index and Yahoo BOSS and other companies’ technologies. First thing that surprises is that user gets only 5 search results sites with most relevant links - in searching on some topics it might be not enough, but sufficient to get know what the topic is about.

Sagoon is maybe not a perfect tool for extensive search campaigns, but the links given from it are completely different from these from traditional (most popular search engines). I found many valuable documents in topics I use to monitor with use of Google I didn’t find before - it worth to recommend.

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Swagbucks is a search engine that offers its users a sort of a game. By searching you can win prizes. All you have to do is to register - to enable Swagbucks’ administrator localize you and send you prizes. It works very simply - the more you search, the more valuable prizes you get. This service is also connected with e-shopping - when you shop you earn some points that you can later change on prizes from offer.

Swagbucks is also kind of Argentinian piramid loyalty programme. You can invite you friends and when they are getting points you get part of it. These who register as really first ones will get more of goods. So hurry up if you want to get a piece of pie.

Service as entity looks like someone connected few different marketing tools to camouflage e-store as search engine. If this will work and gather nice community around it might bring a proper income.

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MSE360 is a search engine that offers results limited to the country of our choice. We might choose among list of about twenty countries, mainly western ones, although not all EU countries are included. If one is observant can notice that there is one country that do not exist anymore - Czechoslovakia. Blatant mistake isn’t it?

There is also nothing innovative about these search engine - search results are divided in Wikipedia results, video and image results. We know it from other search engines, but I must say - in mse360’s case search results presentation is not clear enough. There is almost no space between columns and everything looks like it was fitted with use of force. However lack of good visual can be recompensed in finding local sites, anchored in specific country you’re interested in. You might always give a shot - results may turn out better than these by our big G-friend.

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