2010-02-24
Foundem vs Google
Foundem, “the world’s most advanced vertical search engine” (as they sell themselves), is one third of an antitrust complaint against Google. They’ve previously complained about being dropped from Google search results, although that’s apparently been resolved since.
In the business news segment on Today, the section that caught my ear was a company representative complaining about Google’s inclusion of video and shopping results (aka “universal search”), specifically mentioning a search for the Toshiba TG01, and the fact that the videos were hosted on YouTube:
(I’ve highlighted the parts of the page that Foundem seem to be arguing against, but removed the Google header.)
Now, I can’t help but agree that, for this sort of search, Google looks cluttered, and you can’t argue that the video isn’t on a Google service. However, while one of the four “shopping results” links goes to Google’s product search, the other three link directly out to retailers.
So, how does Foundem do?
At least with Google’s results I have a good idea of what the product actually is (a mobile phone); Foundem’s results don’t even list the right category. From Google’s page, I can see reviews and the manufacturer’s site; from Foundem, nothing, until I drill down again. Remember, this is a search that was suggested by the company themselves.
Perhaps instead of complaints to the EU, Foundem would be more successful if they fixed their search engine to, you know, actually work?
