Semanti Corp. today has released its free semantic search browser plug-in that now works for Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Live Search.

SemantiFind debuted in September at DEMOfall08 as a plug-in to add semantic searching to Google. The company promised an update within 30 days that would make that feature compatible with other search engines. Today, that update has been released. SemantiFind is now capable of working with Yahoo and Microsoft Live Search in addition to Google, and can be [URL=http://www.semantifind.com/getStarted.jsp]downloaded for free[/URL]

Typically, searches are strictly keyword-based, and only the query terms are searched for, rather than their meaning. Semantic searches have long been viewed as the next step in the evolution of search engines, where they look for the meaning rather than the actual word. This evolution, however, has been slowed by the [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article/Askcom_v_11_tries_new_search_technologies/1223316977]imperfection of machine-generated results[/URL]. SemantiFind bolsters its Web ontology-based results through the browsing behavior of its users.
In a user's chosen search engine, results are returned in the typical fashion, except Semantifind-provided results are presented in their own box atop the regular ones, not unlike the cross-platform plug-in by [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article/New_Google_tools_sift_and_sort_search_results/1225353991]SurfCanyon[/URL]. Once a user finds her desired information, the plug-in "Semantifies" the most relevant results, prioritizing the more accurate links for other users who search for the same terms.

The emphasis on human approval of search relevance has also been expressed by search engines [URL=http://www.mahalo.com/]Mahalo[/URL] and [URL=http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/06/semantic-search-engine-hakia-now-says-it-can-filter-results-by-how-credible-they-are/]Hakia[/URL], but SemantiFind differs in that it is not trying to pull users away from their chosen search sites. Rather, it seeks to augment what they already use.

Yahoo announced it was [URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7296056.stm]shifting toward semantic indexing[/URL] earlier this year, and Microsoft in July confirmed that it was [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_confirms_its_buying_semantic_search_provider_Powerset/1214947288]acquiring semantic provider Powerset[/URL], and Google has been [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article/New_Google_tools_sift_and_sort_search_results/1225353991]experimenting with its own[/URL] SearchWiki semantic approval system.

Though the plug-in released today works with Yahoo and MSN as well, the search engine which utilizes Semantifind best is Google. Semanti Corp. President Scott Montgomerie spoke with BetaNews last week, calling his product "Google Plus." When in use, [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article//]Google Suggest[/URL] is replaced by Semantifind's "definition bar," instantly providing pertinent information about terms before the search even begins. Google also supports a SemantiFind toolbar. In other search engines, however, these features have not yet been added.

Today, Google launched its SearchWiki feature, which adds an aspect of personalization and quasi-semantic enhancement.

Several weeks after search startup [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article/Semantic_search_plugin_comes_to_Google_Yahoo_MSN/1225720138]Semanti Corp[/URL] launched its Google-centric search plug-in that allows users to tag and rank search results, [URL=http://www.betanews.com/article/Semantic_search_plugin_comes_to_Google_Yahoo_MSN/1225720138]Google has come out with its own version[/URL], SearchWiki. Google's new product is different from Semanti's in that it is primarily intended to be personal. A signed-in user's search results can be re-ranked, deleted, added, or commented upon.

SearchWiki adds just three small icons to the right side of normal Google search results: a "promote" button, a "remove" button, and a "comment" button. The idea is to make repeat searches yield the answers that people most want.
However, like Semanti's product, users have the ability to see the rankings and comments from other users. Through the "See all notes for this SearchWiki" link, a user can cross-reference his query results with another user's. Each user's comments remain his own, and do not affect others' searches.

While it is not an actual semantic search mechanism, the "2.0" nature of SearchWiki allows the efficacy of search results to be tested against other users' satisfaction and preferences -- something like a product review. The function is only available when logged in.