Uncategorized 10 Jun 2009 12:54 pm
Bing!
Bing it! Does it have the same ring to it as “Go Google it?” Microsoft’s latest attempt at competing with the popular search engine Google- Bing is now live.
Bing is more than a search engine, it’s a decision engine. The site was created for questions that have more than one answer. Bing helps users overcome a search overload and find the best choice faster. It organizes results into logical categories, not in order of popularity. For example, I searched for “Michigan”. My results were sorted in the following categories- maps, zip codes, newspapers, facts, attractions, and images. This made it much easier to find exactly what I was searching for in less time.
On the left hand side of the Bing homepage there is a guided search for shopping, health, travel and local information. The shopping feature brings price comparisons, images and reviews for what you are looking for to help you quickly find the best product at the lowest price. The health feature brings together results from top medical sites ensuring that you are getting information you can trust. The travel feature allows you to enter dates and locations then finds the best deals. There is even a price predictor that determines when fares may be cheaper. The local feature allows you to search for things like restaurants around your area. You can then refine the results by parking, price, atmosphere or reservations and get one-click directions.
What is the difference between Bing and Google? The biggest difference is how the results are sorted. For example, I searched for “Detroit Redwings” on both search engines. On Bing, the official team website came up as the first result, on Google, news results (Stanley Cup etc) for the team were displayed first. Bing also pulled up a schedule for the team listing upcoming events. Google didn’t.
Another difference is the spell check feature of each site. When I misspelled a word while searching on Google, a notification asking if I meant the correct spelling instead came up. When I misspelled the same word on Bing, it automatically changed the word to the correct spelling and searched for that.
Google pulls up almost double the results that Bing does.
Some say Bing is more interesting to look at with images on its homepage while others prefer Google’s simple and classic background.
I think which search engine is a better depends on your own personal preferences. Personally, I’ve been happy with my results using Google and don’t see the need to switch over to Bing, at least for now. It’s a nice option to learn about though.
Amanda Deluca
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