Web 2.0-Friendly Engine Technorati Gets Revamp

Spring is the season of rebirth and revival, which many companies with homes on the Internet have taken to heart. One such website, which just a day or two ago reemerged onto the scene with a fresh coat of paint, is Technorati, a well kept index of blogs, videos, and music. And I must say, the new incarnation is far more attractive.

There’s nothing miraculous about Technorati. The site tracks what’s new and what’s popular in Web 2.0, and sorts it all out for its users to easily peruse. Some other items, like a ‘Favorites’ feature and a ‘Watchlist’, are tossed into the mix, but its essential purpose is to make a very large pile of all sorts of information consumable. And it does its job well.

Only now it just looks a lot better doing it.

To be fair, some changes apart from the visuals have been made. The ‘Search’ bar, for example, before fitted with options that enabled one immediate access to blog, video, or music results only if one so wished, is now devoid of any quick customization features. This is presumably due Technorati’s receipt of many user requests made to remove them or simply because of a lack in use. To search the aforementioned categories, one must enter the desired keyword, execute the search, and on the subsequent results page(s) scour the available tabs to find precisely what one is looking for. This might seem odious to some, but it’s not at all, and it makes for a more nicely structured site overall.

Another alteration, though one that might go relatively unnoticed (in all honesty, I assume the same will go for the new search structure mentioned above) has been the leveling of the site’s three categories.

Prior to the week we will soon be closing, blogs stood front and center on Technorati. Now videos, and to a slightly lesser extent, music, are featured with more visual prominence. Of course, this can be taken as a sly illusion of equanimity given to each of the site’s most prominent categories. But because the world of blogging is what Technorati built itself upon, regardless of change to its layout, the site will continue to be first and foremost a utility for its strongest base: writers and their readers.

To top it all off (literally), the upgrade also includes a side-scrolling ticker-like menu of real-time “clickable” searches. An interesting distraction/amusement.

It’s numbers don’t match those of Google or Yahoo!, but Technorati no doubt holds its own. It’s a great engine that boasts great features and user friendliness. Before the update I would have instantly given recommendations to use Technorati. I would surely do the same now.