Google Introduces StumbleUpon-Style Search Options
Users of Google’s toolbar and/or personalized search features have a new way to browse the web. The new features, dubbed, uh, well, certainly not StumbleUpon since that’s taken, are available to anyone using the Search History tools and will add a dice icon to the Google Toolbar.
The Google Blog post on the new features says “today we’re releasing two features that reduce the need for you to type in specific queries to get the information you want.” Or to paraphrase GigaOm and stick the words in Google’s mouth: today we’re pissed we missed out on acquiring Stumbleupon so we’re copping some of its features.
The chief difference between the two services is that where StumbleUpon relies on a user community of submitted sites, Google’s new features suggest sites based on your preferences and search history.
A difference somewhat akin to the difference between cuddling up with a new puppy versus your shiny new Sony AIBO.
In truth though I don’t think this is a StumbleUpon competitor, or at least it isn’t a very good one. Part of the fun of StumbleUpon is that it can be entirely random and it can lead you to pages outside your normal web surfing bubble.
Google’s offering on the other hand is more what I always thought the “I’m feeling lucky” option should have been. In other words Google knows your search history, so, based on that, it can pull up some sites that are very similar to what you might be looking for, however, it’s anything but random.
The most interesting part of the new search tool is that Google will tell you why it chose the recommendations it did, and even offers more links to things you’ve searched for previously.
Almost like radical transparency from a search engine.
