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AnchorDesk

David Coursey
I've discovered the 'invisible Web'--have you? Here's how!

David Coursey
Executive Editor, AnchorDesk
Friday, July 6, 2001
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There's a big problem with most search engines--including the popular ones most of us use every day. Huge portions of the Internet are completely invisible to them. This "invisible Web" consists of information living in thousands of online databases. And if you want the information they contain, you have to search each of them individually.

Until now--thanks to a new search service that went into beta testing in February but is now up and running. It's called ProFusion.

First, a little background. Web search engines use creatures (actually, programs) called spiders to roam the Web and record what they find. If information is in a Web page, these creatures work pretty well, and you see the results on services like Yahoo, Google, and AltaVista. But spiders can't index databases. And so most searches just scratch the surface of what's really out there--an invisible Web estimated to be as much as 500 times larger than what search engines can see.

THESE INVISIBLE SITES are available through several directories already. One of the best known is called Direct Search, compiled by Gary Price of George Washington University. Another is www.invisibleweb.com, a site created by Intelliseek, makers of the BullsEye family of search products.

A directory, of course, is just a listing of sites. You still have to pick the right one(s) and do the search yourself, using whatever search facility the database offers. It's a good way to waste an afternoon, without having much to show for it.

So the Intelliseek people have created a new site that allows users to search more than 1,000 information sources, as well as those on the invisible Web. The service is called ProFusion, and the site address is www.profusion.com. Backers tout it as the Web's largest search site.

THE INTERFACE IS deceptively simple. Type in a search request and the service will automatically search across multiple sources and categorize the results. It may offer suggestions for additional searches based on what it's learned. A search on "Joe Jackson" pulled up information and categories for both the famous musician and the famous baseball player.

You can also search by category, or by source within a category. You can define searches that run every day, and ask it to alert you to changes in pages you specify.

ProFusion works by formatting your search criteria to meet the specific requirements of each source. This allows you to simultaneously search hundreds of Web sites--visible and invisible--without any specialized search skills.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING with ProFusion since February and have been quite pleased with the results.

Plus, ProFusion is remarkably free of advertising, something the company promises will continue into the final release. Intelliseek will offer enhanced pay services, but it's quick to add that ProFusion's free capabilities today will remain so tomorrow.

In addition to the ProFusion service, Intelliseek also sells industrial-strength search engines to corporate customers, a group to whom database searching really matters. Intelliseek also sells two client-based search tools under the BullsEye name. If you're a power searcher, you'd do well to look at them. I've been using BullsEye on-and-off for three years, and you should take my loyalty to it as an endorsement. There's a demo version available for download.

Search engines are a matter of personal preference and convenience. So some of you will like ProFusion. Others won't. Even if you eventually give it a thumbs-down, it's still worth your time and effort--if for no other reason than to catch a glimpse of the Web you've never before seen.

What's your favorite search engine? Which one is your *least* favorite? And why? TalkBack to me!

AnchorDesk on radio and television: David is now getting up bright and early to visit with Brian Cooley every morning at 7:45 a.m. PT on CNET Radio (910AM in the San Francisco Bay Area and at www.cnetradio.com online). He is also co-host of an hour-long program every Friday at noon PT on CNET Radio. You can also catch David on CNET's News.com TV program, which airs twice every weekend on CNBC (see airtimes) or by going to the special CNET TV page featuring his most recent appearances and a link to the Friday radio program.

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