> "I think it is time (if not a bit too late) to try to challenge Google Search with something new, a new perspective on how the information on the Internet can be indexed and searched. I bet a lot of people are constantly thinking about this, but the window of opportunity may be now while Google is putting a lot of their time and effort on ML/AI. I doubt you can compete with them by building a ML-based search, so it must be something else both in terms of technology and possibly even the UI."
There was a social search engine, Aardvark (circa 2008). Google acquired it in 2010, then discontinued it off in 2011. The design is discussed in their paper below. There was also ChaCha -- another social search engine.
There was a social search engine, Aardvark (circa 2008). Google acquired it in 2010, then discontinued it off in 2011. The design is discussed in their paper below. There was also ChaCha -- another social search engine.
> Aardbark wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardvark_(search_engine)
> "The Anatomy of a Large-Scale, Social, Search Engine": https://web.archive.org/web/20110216155450/http://vark.com/a...
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=== Update ===
I've found some HN posts about Aardvark and the acquisition:
> Aardvark: Now All Your Friends Are in the Answer Business: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=677178
> Aardvark Mulls Over A $30+ Million Offer From Google: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=980607
> Google Acquires Aardvark For $50 million: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1118132