New Search Engine 'Cuil' is a Cool Search for Privacy

A new search engine named Cuil (cuil.com) was open to the public today. Pronounced "cool," and misspelled "kool ", "cool.com" and "kuil" by the text messaging crowd as people look for the cool search engine --, its first strike is its name. But for those who manage to navigate their way to Cuil.com, the new search engine offers a measure of utility not found with the big three SEs, including user privacy.

Developed by former Google employee Anna Patterson and her husband Tom Costello, who obliged a New York Times blogger about Cuil, Ms. Paterson suggests "that people will be drawn to Cuil as a backup to other search engines because its index, she claims, is three times larger than that of Google."
Cuil.com indexes 120 billion web pages.

Bigger is not aways better. The new search engine garners some unexpected results. Some searches, like people's names, failed completely and others were substantially one-sided. My name, for instance, is far removed from the front page -- a page dominated by a celebrity with the same moniker -- whereas on Google, it typically places within the first three slots. Pushing ego aside, I invested a little more time with Cuil.com to see what the new search engine offers.

Cuil.com boasts a cool search interface

What is initially appealing about the new search engine is how Cuil search engine result pages (SERPs) are presented. Deemed to resemble a magazine format, it is a more intuitive for new Internet users in particular.

Results read from left to right and frequently include photo thumbnails alongside entries. Conversely, vertical links dominate SERPs for good reasons as both a user preference and habit, which may hurt the new search engine's appeal initially.

Another feature that the new search engine boasts is tabbed-style browsing of related search terms. While related search terms are available on Google, Yahoo and other sites, Cuil's prominent display is somewhat helpful.

Privacy draws in new search engine users

Cuil maintains an excellent privacy policy, summed up as "Your search history is your business, not ours" Cuil claims not to collect personal information including IP addresses.

Not limited to illegal software searches and porn surfers, Cuil appeals to individuals who share privacy concerns.

Whether it is limiting the amount of information provided to big business or keeping search habits -- a medical condition for example -- personal. Though anonymizing software exists and one can clear their search history, most people are unfamiliar with these protections.

Uncool Results for Cuil

Simply put, the most significant drawback to Cuil is that the search results are unlike other search engines, which is also part of the new search engine's appeal. Many unknown sites appear on the front page under various search terms.

For example, a search for "computer stores" provided a healthy mixture of results and even provides the term "Dell Computer Stores" its own tab. Yet, the Dell results were lacking -- including hosting websites related to couponing, Canada and Linux. Not common results for Dell, albeit, with some niche appeal.

The new search engine may be more appealing in several months when public usage provides suggested tweaks for Cuil engineers to consider. Otherwise, Cuil.com may be worth a visit when privacy is a concern and/or Google fails to deliver items of interest.

Soruces
www.cuil.com
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/cuils-new-search-engine-cheaper-than-google-but-not-better/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121708547549587447.html