New MSN Search Look???

[rustybrick]

Please read Gary's SEW blog posting named Is This the New Look of MSN Search?. Can this be the look MSN Search is going for?

What are your thoughts?

[Nacho]

3) A link to a Spanish language version of the interface

Wohoooo!!! Thank you MSN for thinking of us Hispanics

+ Finally, and what I found most interesting, an option to use three "sliders" to manipulate the ranking of pages. In other words, add or reduce the weight of certain ranking factors. Some might even call it personalization since the results I see might be different than the ones someone else views for the identical search.
The sliders are labeled:
+ Updated recently--Static
+ Very popular--Less popular
+ Approximate match--Exact match

I think this is what is most exciting, because now you are not dealing with one algorithm, but a global refined to a personal usage which could end up to endless possibilities. Ouch! Orion, where are you?? Need your help here amigo.

[Marcia]

>>Very popular--Less popular

Click tracking then?

[jamesa]

>> Click tracking then?

I'm guessing link pop.

The slider concept is a great idea, though... kind of a poweruser feature. Will make optimization very interesting.

(BTW they must of read my mind - that was one of my secret weapons I was going to use to take over the world someday, LOL).

[Chris Boggs]

Rusty, your "this" link is a little fuzzy...It's the same as the "Search Builder" link in the article, which is fuzzy too...

I like it. A couple clients I ran were top-two

Really though, obviously this is the look at the results. How and where are the sponsored listings going to appear? How many banners will I see? Will I get pop-ups?

[andrewgoodman]

This is a very big development with major implications for how searchers might "bake their own" algo weightings. [cough cough]

Good find Gary! Now the question is, is MSN just pulling our leg? Will their users "get it"?