{WE} Search: The First Human Powered Search Engine

{WE} Search: The First Human Powered Search Engine

My name is Tom Nguyen.  I am one of the cofounders here at Wordever.  I want to write a little memo and start a discussion- a discussion on the future of Wordever, the future of our users, and the future of the way we interact with information and with each other online.  One thing for certain, {WE} at Wordever want to change the way information is searched, organized, and shared online.  And when we say {WE}, we do not just mean employees of Wordever, we mean everyone who uses Wordever, anyone who interacts with our content, and anyone who shares in the vision of an Internet powered by its users.

When you start to use Wordever, you will see that everyone has a different personal use for it.  Some use it to collect recipes, plan vacations, organize art.  Others use it for research in school projects, homework, or science.  Still others will find more personal uses by creating their own blog with {WE} blogging tools and becoming a thought leader on a topic (original content plus gathering all the information that supports that blog and having an instant audience for that blog).  Finally many of you use {WE}'s collaboration tools within a topic to work on group projects, plan outings, or create awesome music playlists with friends.  There are just too many uses for Wordever to even list and each day we find many more uses that our users creatively think of.  One thing is consistent across the board however - each user adds a piece of themselves to Wordever because the information is curated by each of you.

Let me share a little secret with all of you...  Each time you add your own content to Wordever,  you are adding relevant search results to the first human powered search engine on the web.  Do you see it yet?  Think about it.  Goto your favorite search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc) now and do a search.  Lets say we are interested in doing a startup and want to research information on anything to do with startups.  Type in "startups" in the search engine and you will basically get random results that are not relevant at all.  These results  were created by a computer (a search bot) and based on Google's algorithm on relevance.  Basically what shows up literally has nothing to do with our topic other than the keyword "Startups"   was one by these companies with probably the most inbound links.  Now type in startups on a Wordever Search.  Look at the results.  You will see tons of relevant information on Startups - from startup financing, startup strategies, mobile strategies, startup jobs, etc.  What is important to realize here is that these results were curated by human beings, not by a search bot.  These results were created by users that were interested in the topic of "Startups" and took the time out to scour the internet to find relevant articles to clip, files to upload, or to write a blog about startups themselves.  How relevant is that?  It is extremely relevant.  Basically people have already done all the work for you with regards to "Startups."  Now all you have to do is look at the results, clip the ones that pertain to you, add your own clips, add your own content to it, and its becomes yours.  What's even better is that you can comment and discuss these results socially.  Almost everything that you use Wordever for, whatever personal use - doing research, planning a wedding, or blogging on a topic - somebody in this world is doing the same exact thing.  That someone will do a {WE} search and find your work and will love it, and they will add to it, and make it even more relevant.

Wordever is a HUMAN POWERED SEARCH ENGINE.  It is the Wikipedia of Search Engines. 

The {WE} SEARCH

Everyone that does any business or has a presence on the Internet knows how important it is to get on the first page of that Google search.  I mean Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a multi-billion dollar industry and its main purpose is to figure out Google's search bot algorithm  to get to that first page.  Being on the first or on the second page means literally millions of dollars.  Don't you wish you got in early before Google's rise to win major keywords?  Don't you wish you figured out the search algorithm? 

{WE} will be different.  We will tell you exactly how to get your content to appear at the top of a {WE} search.  We will tell you the algorithm.  {WE} search is only as powerful as our database of content.  That database is built by the collective contribution from {WE} users.  What only makes sense is that the more content you contribute to {WE}, the more relevant your content will be in a search.  What we mean by contribution is a social contribution.  It will be ranked by items such as:

Content Reach: How many people does your content reach?  Which basically means how many people follow you and your content on {WE}.  This relates to the ability for you, or your content to attract followers.

Content Virality:  How many people like, reclip, or comment on your content.  This is directly related to the quality of your content and its ability to spark comments and be used by others.  Basically oh much social engagement does your content provide?

User Activity: How much quality content do you contribute?  How many clips, blogs, likes, reclips do you produce?  This directly measures your overall activity on {WE}

The above measures will rank users and their content.  {WE} will let you know at all times how high you are ranked so that you can determine your own placement on search results.  Ranking will likely be divided in levels of relevance.

There you go.  The above is exactly how to have your content be relevant on a {WE} search.  This is why we are so proud of the early users of {WE} and the quality of the content curated so far.  You guys have a head start!

{WE} Collaboration

Now let's get back to the {WE} part of this discussion.  {WE} means every user at Wordever.  Because {WE} are only as powerful as the users of Wordever make it, {WE} must act together to realize this goal.  {WE} want every user to be part of this movement towards a more relevant human curated search engine.  This can only be achieved with collaboration.  {WE} no longer want information to be controlled by large corporations with their automatic search bots.  {WE} demand change.  {We} want to take back our Internet and put it in the hands of the people.  Human powered search is the only way to go.  It's the only way to share information online.  Information that is relevant to humans, not to whoever has more links or pays a corporation for keywords. 

Welcome to the {WE} SEARCH - a search by the people and for the people.

As {WE} are a collaborative site.  {WE} welcome every user to offer feedback, comments, suggestions.  For example, how many levels should we have?  What should they be called (i.e. syndicator, thought leader)?  Should the ranking system be scored (Klout) or based on badges?  What should the search results look like?  {WE} welcome you to contribute.

{WE} Search.  {WE} can do it - together.