New Search Engine Blekko Customizes Search with Slashtags

Blekko, a new search engine that has recently gone into beta, has taken a slightly different approach to Internet searching by basing searches around “slashtags,” simple keywords that attempt to cut down on superfluous results. The neat thing about Blekko, however, is that once signed up, any user can create custom slashtags, potentially making Internet searches a lot more precise.

Sure, it’s a little annoying that users have to create a user profile before they can use the intriguing part of Blekko — the custom slashtags — but the signup is quick and easy at least.

The custom slashtags are simple enough: Just pick a topic, such as “Geekosystem /parkour” and Blekko will search for all parkour-related Geekosystem articles. Users can only use slashtags–even custom ones–that have already been created, so if users want to use a custom slashtag, they must sign up, then create the custom slashtags before being able to use them. Blekko also provides a neat feature where if the slashtags “/rank” or “/seo” are entered, such as “Geekosystem /rank,” the engine will return website rankings based on the search. Users can also click the “more details” link and get a more detailed return of the website rankings, even including a “notporn” category. Luckily, Blekko rates us as not porn.

Whether or not Blekko will catch on with the requirement to sign up in order to use its unique feature in slashtags, coupled with more prominent search engines floating around, remains to be seen as of yet; though either way, providing users with more control over Internet search results seems like a handy feature.

(via PCWorld)