Ants to help you with your SEARCH - Chintee.com. But will it work?
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In a typically predictable way of influencing bloggers, Chintee.com has put up a poll – Asking you to guess what Chintee.com is all about.
This is what users are voting for:
It’s pretty obvious – The answer is going to be ‘All of above’.
Though I wish it wasn’t.
Why?
A one-stop-searching-destination is not going to work.
If you still want to be a one-stop destination for all queries online – you have to prove your forte in each and every search field and that would be possible in a phased launch.
Phase 1 – Launch the basic search engine -> Get users hooked by your quality
Phase 2 – Offer them more value -> Launch additional search tools
Phase 3 – And so on…
There are 2 poll options which particularly interest me – a Collaborative search and a People search.
What does one mean by a Collaborative search?
Collaborative search is community based search. It’s where your search results would include results from other people in the community.
A Wikipedia based search tool to some extent. Interesting existing concepts include:
Mahalo – Human Powered Search
Swicki – Community Powered Search, where the community can even be just your Blog readers.
Tagging and search via tags is also an interesting option and searching at Del.icio.us and Technorati will often get you more relevant results than Google.
This of course might not work in India – basically because a service like this can be highly abused and manipulated! You can see Buzz Marketing agents spamming each and every Orkut Community and you’ll get a feel of what I’m talking about.
What will really work?
People Search
Less than 5% of our 1.12 Billion population is online currently. But even this 5% is more than the entire population of several countries.
We also command the largest English speaking audience in the world and internet penetration is rising with each passing minute…a People Search is something which would make the most sense.
Most of the users (Age Group<30) in India use Orkut to search for people. Imagine a larger platform – which even displays results from Orkut and other Social Networking Sites.
A people search service Spock.com is creating waves abroad. Great thing is that they have 2 Indian founders – Jaideep Singh and Jay Bhatti.
Other such international people search services include – Wink and ZoomInfo
The future options of a successful people search site would include incredible opportunities in the Classifieds space. One can have a Matrimonial and Jobs model complimenting the basic service.
What about the other options in the poll?
Search Engine?
It’s going to take a miracle to dislodge Google and not to forget MSN Live and Yahoo from people’s minds.
There are already a lot of local players (Guruji, Dwaar, ByIndia etc etc) who are trying to do to the same. A generic search engine won’t really work - but Local Search has an amazing potential.
Comparison Search Engine?
This is something which would go down well with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail. Coupled with one-to-one marketing, it could prove to be really successful.
Video / Image Search?
Maximum number of Video Search queries arise on YouTube and that is mainly because YouTube possesses the largest database of videos out there.
Blinkx is doing a really cool job in this sector too and there are at least half a dozen other players. Reliance is already trying to create a Video Hub inside their Social Network BigAdda.
Excellent services already out there when it comes to Image Search and there’s news that Google is working on visual recognition too, which would enable tracing pictures without the use of tags.
The problem with Reliance Entertainment is that they are entering into each and every vertical possible in the internet space in India, without even trying to consolidate and really drive a particular category.
Zapak are the only ones who have been able to create any buzz – but that was on the backing of some real big marketing money.
It seems like is a very traditional pre-dotcom bust VC approach – "Let us invest in each & everything possible and hope one or two click and all other losses would be automatically covered."
Ideate @ WATConsult
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Reliance is just trying to capture the Pie but not intended to solve the people problems like OnYoMo which i am using since from 8 months, Guruji, Myntra.com, Tezaa, Zoho [high quality], and some others.
I Completely agree with Last para, it may happen soon, but be cautious indian entrepreneurs dont be hasty in starting a startup. I request all indian entrepreneurs to follow Watblog as Rajiv is good at pointing which is best for you all.
There are more than 100 search engines i have listed just to show how search engine market is crowded, but i wonder why reliance is entering in to toughest search market.
I also agree with last but 3 para. Most people are not impressed by the products of Reliance Entertainment. BigAda is absolutely ridiculous, it is just exact mirror image of Orkut.
I think reliance should concentrate on improving broadband facilities in india which will be really help full for all indians.
* A9
* AOL
* AURA!
* blinkx
* boing
* bookmach.com
* BOXXET
* ChaCha
* ClipBlast!
* Clusty
* collarity
* CometQ
* CONGOO
* d e c i p h o
* del.icio.us
* digg
* digg labs swarm
* Ditto
* dumbfind
* exalead
* factbites
* fazzle
* FEEDS|2.0
* Feedster
* FindSounds
* GIGABLAST
* girafa
* gnn o d
* GoDefy
* goshme
* GoYams
* grokker
* ICEROCKET
* ixquick
* KartOO
* http://www.krugle.com/ Best Code search engine
* last.fm
* Lexxealpha
* like
* LiveDeal
* liveplasma
* Local.com
* lurpo
* MetaGlossary
* mnemomap
* Mojeek
* Mooter
* MrSAPO
* MS. DEWEY
* nayio
* Octora
* OiHoi Search
* Pagebull
* PlanetSearch
* pluggd
* PODZINGER
* Previewseek
* pronto.com
* QTsearch
* Quintura
* Releton
* retrevo gamma
* riya
* ROLLYO [ http://rollyo.com ]
* SearchTheWeb2
* SEEQPOD
* sidekiq
* Simply Google
* Singing FISH
* Slideshow
* Slifter
* soople
* Speegle
* Sphider
* SPURL.net
* S R C H R
* SurfWax
* Swoogle
* TagJag!
* thefind.com
* Trexy
* turboscout
* UJIKO
* url.com
* VMGO.com
* Web 2.0
* Webaroo
* WEBBRAIN
* What to RENT?
* whonu?
* WIKIO
* WiseNut
* Yahoo! MINDSET
* yoono
* yoople
* yubnub
* YuFind
* ZABASEARCH
* zapmeta
* Zippy
* ZUULA
Thanks for the complete list Mahesh. Great to have readers like you.
Search is a highly crowded market - but with spends increasing multifolds in Search Marketing…i think Reliance would have thought, why don't we simply have a search engine of our own! (H)
You are right. You guys really making good research.
Which is helping indian entrepreneurs. But i think there are less entrepreneurs who are taking best use of your Blog. I think you can tie up with TiE Bangalore and help startup's. Your Information is worth so Us.
-
Mahesh
http://hitechstartups.wordpress.com/
Latest news, reliance is also launching i-indows, the replica of windows. Looks like Mr ambani has gone amuck with kind of money he has amassed over of period of time.
This clearly shows incompetence on part of indian businessmen, who can't even think of one original idea. Better, Mr ambani should set up some early stage venture fund and back youngsters with innovative ideas.
guys did you look at this, the site ask what is chintee? they themselves are not sure of what they want to design. (lol)
I dont know how well this would work considering the other products from the group. One thing for sure, its already become a place for SEO guys to get 'backlinks'… Check this URL and other blogposts http://www.chintee.com/blog_comments.php?id=24
I think Reliance should spend time on building mobile shopping technology - leveraging the high usage of mobiles compared to internet and their widespread retail outlets
On a lighter note, Mahesh, you seem to have leaked out the secret 100 list of the Search Engine Optimising specialists around