Frequently Asked Questions
Top Questions
- What is Alpha?
- How can Alpha pull search results from other sites?
- What is OpenSearch RSS?
- What are trigger words?
- I'm seeing a few issues using Alpha. Why does it torment me so?
- I keep getting errors from one or more search providers, is Alpha broken?
- Wow, this is really cool. I've customised my modules and personalised my search sources. How do I share my newfound search experience with a friend?
- What if I don't want to share my configuration?
- How do I add OpenSearch support to my site or search engine?
- Tell us how you really feel
What is Alpha?
Alpha is a new beta product from Yahoo!7 that introduces the concept of Federated Search. With Alpha, you can search across many different information sources all on one place. Also, if you have a Yahoo! ID, you can personalise your experience and view them from any computer you log on to. You can do things like change the default positions of search sources, or add completely new ones of your own.
This offers a comprehensive search result that's tailored and controlled by you, the searcher!How can Alpha pull search results from other sites?
Alpha can display any combination of OpenSearch results, RSS or site specific search results on the one page. Alpha does this by utilising the OpenSearch format to read and present search results from any site that chooses to syndicate their results. Much like the way MyYahoo! can read news feeds via RSS, Alpha can read search results via OpenSearch RSS, GeoRSS, standard RSS plus additional sources via the Yahoo! Search API.
What is OpenSearch RSS?
OpenSearch is a set of simple formats for the sharing of search results. Want to know more? Start searching here.
Or check out some of the following links on the topic to get you started:
What are TriggerWords?
TriggerWords allow you to see search results from different sources based on an extra word you type into the search box.
For example, typing "sydney harbour bridge pics" will display images of the big coathanger from various sources, whereas searching for "sydney news" displays news relating to Sydney from trusted news sources.
The complete list of TriggerWords are listed below:
Layout TriggerWord Images image, pic, photo, i News news, n Reference reference, ref, r My Profile my, m Default default, d * Plural forms are also valid, such as "photos"
What's the go with Goto?
Goto is a special term used in an Alpha search that will take you directly to the first result of your search. This saves you the step of having to click on the first link in a search result page for common navigational searches. Think of it like going directly to go in monopoly without having to pick up community chest (or collecting 200 bucks).
For example, typing "goto smh" will take you directly to the Sydney Morning Herald website, while "goto heaven" takes you to the Wikipedia entry for heaven. (If only it were that easy)
The good news is that goto functionality works from any Alpha search box, even Yahoo!7 Toolbar or Firefox ones.
I'm seeing a few issues using Alpha. Why does it torment me so?
Alpha is currently in its "beta" phase of development, meaning we have released it to the public (that's you the beta testers!), but are still actively tracking down bugs and possible features for the site and gaining general feedback.
If you find something not working as you would expect, or have a nifty idea, please let us know on the blog and we'll check it out.
I keep getting errors from one or more search providers, is Alpha broken?
Since Alpha is still in Beta, that would make the answer a definite maybe... but since Alpha is aggregating other providers, the problem can also originate with the providers themselves. It's quite possible that there may not be results from all providers at the same time. For example, while there may be a result for "blue sky" in web results, Answers, Flickr and Youtube, there may be zero results for News.
Wow, this is really cool. I've customised my modules and personalised my search sources. How do I share my newfound search experience with a friend?
Easy! The hard work is done! Take a peek at your signed in search url. You'll notice that its personalised to you and if you send this personalised url to your friend, they will see the results just as you do.
Additionally, you can create an Alpha search box to return customised search results for your site visitors in precisely the layout you specify.
What if I don't want to share my configuration?
If sharing is not your bag, not to fear! You can disable sharing easily by clicking the "Customise this page" link and unchecking the "Allow others to view my layout" checkbox.
How do I add OpenSearch support to my site or search engine?
This section describes the technical aspects of how to add OpenSearch support your website or search engine. Read More..
