untangling_the_web

DOClD: 4046925
UNCLASSIFIEDNFOR OFFIOIAL USE m.LY
~ undocumented feature: will search in some specific languages, but I don't
know how many; use language:de to search for webpages in German, for
example.
Weaknesses
~ most obviously, the Gigablast index is still smaller than those of Google,
Yahoo, or Live Search
~ no truncation
~ is not case sensitive
~ no wildcard
~ limited file type searches
~ limited language options
~ poor documentation
Gigablast Options & Services
Custom Topic Search: Gigablast offers some special options, the most important of
which is a Custom Topic Search, which I discuss in detail under the.Custom Search
Engines section below. If you don't read anything else about Gigablast, please
take a look at this innovation.
Directory: As with Google and Yahoo , Gigablast's web directory uses the Open
Directory Project's collection but Gigablast use a "hypertechnology for searching the
directory that allows its users to perform searches over websites , not just the actual
pages, under any topic in the directory, in effect, instantly creating over 500,000
vertical search engines Additionally, all directory searches are enhanced by the
massive amount of link information from Gigablast's multi-billion page index." So a
Gigablast directory search returns not only DMOZ categories but "Giga Bits" and
website listings as well.
XML Search Feed: Gigablast also offers an XML Search Feed that will run up to
1000 queries per day with a maximum of ten results each. But remember , you must
have XML parsing software to read XML feeds, so this new feature isn't an option for
all users.
XML Search Feed
http://www.gigablast.com/searchfeed .html
Giga Bits: Gigablast has its own refine option called "Giga Bits." Giga Bits are terms
that appear in a blue box at the top of a results page to help refine and focus your
search.
Related Pages: Gigablast's Related Pages were introduced in March 2005. Related
Pages are "relevant search results which do not necessarily contain the searcher's
144 UNCLASSIFIEDhTOft OI"'I"'ICIAL tJSE ONLY