MappingTheWeb //

Top (insert number) lists are a hot ticket item right now, but their appeal and popularity are getting saturated by an over-abundance of such posts and articles. I’m fairly certain that their seductive powers will soon fade and the trend will slowly die off.

But what is it that makes these posts so enigmatic and enticing? Here are 5 reasons why they we find ourselves constantly clicking and reading these (frequently) useless tidbits:

1. Easy-reading - Lists are bullet points or quick points. You don’t have to hurt your head trying to deal with an in-depth analysis of the newest application framework.

2. Comfort - People find comfort in numbers. A quantifiable list relaxes the nerves. A beginning and an end are apparent.

3. Exclusivity - “I know something you don’t.” People like to be in the know. If you know something others don’t, you have the upper-hand - or at least you think you do (in your mind).

4. Appeal - For the most part, lists tend to be quirky and interesting. This is a far-stretch from tedious newspaper and magazine articles.

5. Sex Factor - Let’s be honest. Lists are sexy. People naturally gravitate toward them. It’s no wonder they’re all over the front page of Digg. Furthermore, they’re a conversation piece. Lists are often easy to remember and provide huge gossip value.

Note: If you fail to recognize the irony in this post and choose to scorn me in the comments, it’s your own fault.

New start-up LingoZ has an ambitious goal in mind. They’re looking to build a dictionary from scratch. Thanks to the new concept of crowdsourcing (or user-contribution), LingoZ plans to harness users in an attempt to redefine the traditional ‘dictionary’ space.

Why would anyone want to enter an area dominated by such big names as Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster? Simply put, they don’t plan on competing in the same way. The traditional players function in a stagnant manner. They are not dynamic. Obviously, definitions do not change much over time, but context, slang, and new words are appearing all the time. This is the reason for being for LingoZ. As the company puts it:

“We aim to prove that a user contributed dictionary who is subject to the community moderation can be as accurate and of high quality as a “regular” dictionary, while evolving and being updated faster than any other source.”

Registered users can do one of a number of things, including:

1. Add a new term
2. Define an existing term
3. Vote on definitions

Currently, the site supports 8 languages. They include English, Hebrew, Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch.

So why would anyone want to edit or contribute to the site? Notoriety is key. As is the case with most sites that do not offer monetary compensation, LingoZ has done a good job of outlining the main incentive of participation:

“Users who are highly praised will gain credibility and enjoy visibility within the LingoZ community.”

The way I see it, LingoZ is to dictionaries as Wikipedia is to encyclopedias. Both will hail their criticisms, due to sourcing from so-called amateurs. Opinions and personal angles may be taken, but a community-controlled and -patrolled system should essentially weed out all the discrepencies. What’s also interesting to note is that SEO will probably be a main traffic driver, somewhat akin to Wikipedia as well.

Negatives aside, many will embrace these new dynamic mediums. Definitions, phrases, and references do change from time to time. Furthermore, new additions and words are appearing all the time, especially in this new era of technology and science. A reluctance to accept or accommodate for these trends may ultimately lead to the demise of traditional giants.

Montreal-based Defensio launched on November 7th to much fanfare. The company promises to “end annoying comment spam”. This is a great goal that we can all get behind (except the spammers, of course). The Akismet rival cannot guarantee better results than its popular counterpart, but early testing has indicated that performance is high and improves over time.

Defensio touts an average accuracy of 99.56% and product characteristics such as:

• Easy management
• Personalized filtering
• Transparency through statistics

Blogging platforms supported include:

• Wordpress
• PixelPost
• Umbraco
• Drupal
• Mephisto
• Movable Type
• TextPattern

In addition, developer plug-ins are available for:

• Ruby on Rails
• Microsoft.NET
• Java
• PHP
• Python

An API allows developers to integrate Defensio into their own application(s). Specifications are available here: Defensio API Specifications. 

To follow company progress, visit their blog and/or add the feed to your reader. I have yet to download the plug-in for this Wordpress blog, but once I have I will give you all an update. Until then, feel free to try it on your own blog and let me know how it goes…

When you think “blog search engine”, you think Technorati. This is unfortunate. The way I see it, the space is in desperate need of a new leader. Although Google Blog Search is a superior service to Technorati, I still believe that an innovator is needed to step in and push the boundaries.

Simplicity is key. Technorati riddles result pages with endless amounts of clutter. What ever happened to the days of simple, clean result pages?

In my opinion, the homepage should contain a search box and a simple text navigation bar. If I want to view the most recent posts or most popular search terms, I am willing to dig a bit deeper.

The interface and navigation are mind-boggling. I really think they need to go back to the drawing board on this one. Although blogs are categorized as “web 2.0″, Technorati is making an overt attempt at “web 2.0″-izing the site and service. The faded background, large fonts, and ocean of tags are overkill. I’m also not convinced that elements such as the author name, “Authority” level, and blog screenshot need to be present with every result. In fact, the blog screenshot is completely useless, as it is too small to view clearly.

Dig around…navigate the site… come to your own conclusions. I’m sure some will disagree with my view, but many will recognize the oversights.

Are there any other blog search services out there that you would recommend?

Google has been on a tear recently. The stock closed at a 52-week high today (just over $740 a share). The announcement of OpenSocial catapulted the stock to new heights. The upward climb has been fueled constant earnings blow-outs. But these can’t last forever. With every consecutive positive surprise, more and more pressure is placed on the company. Mark my word - one of these earnings reports will fall short of expectations and will stock will get absolutely hammered. A $300+ drop in a day is not out of the question. As they say, nobody stays at the top forever.

What are some potential flaws, faults, concerns, or dangers that the company needs to address or guard against?

• Revenue diversification - still completely dependent on advertising
• New search players and search technologies
• Click fraud issues

Their long-term strategy is still an enigma, although the platform move may give some indication. Nevertheless, it may also simply be a move to take the spotlight away from Facebook and regain superiority status. Google’s ability to work together with other companies and services is crucial. This brings us to another piece of news - or lack thereof. There is no GPhone. However, the announcement of Android may ultimately be a smarter move in the end. Finally, the integration and strategy surrounding recent acquisitions will be interesting to watch.

As I say, Google will not be at the top forever. What brings the company down is still a question mark. My gut tells me Google may even experience a similar fate to Microsoft - user backlash. The Internet giant used to be the wonder child of the net. Now, users are starting to voice their concerns with the bureaucratic Googleplex that has emerged.