Lycos Offers Multimedia Searches
Research Center leverages eBook technology for targeted, specific online research.
by Christian McIntosh, PC World
May 5, 1999, 3:21 p.m. PT
Brute force, keyword-based Internet searches are fast becoming obsolete. As Netizens grow impatient with getting half a million useless results, Web sites start to remake themselves into focused resource centers.
Lycos's entry into multimedia search services is Lycos Research Center, an information repository developed in partnership with electronic publishing pioneer Versaware Technologies. The site, launched Wednesday, features the Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia, Random House Webster's College dictionary, and 24-hour world news from Reuters.
The Lycos Research Center features a PowerSearch tool that lets you specify the scope of your query and define the parameters of the results. You can also choose your PowerSearch method, selecting from "intelligent default," "exact phrase," and "more results."
Multimedia Results
Search results appear in a multimedia index. When I conducted a PowerSearch on "Colombia" using the intelligent default, the first result was an encyclopedia entry with animations, photos, maps, and flags. The Lycos Research Center then sorted the multimedia results into alphabetical subgroups.
If you don't want articles and dictionary listings, you can search the Funk & Wagnall's encyclopedia by article or topic. The encyclopedia article index is alphabetized and topics break down into subject categories, including humanities, places, and social sciences.
For bare-bone facts, Webster's interactive College dictionary offers standard word definition and pronunciation tools with stress marks, English, and non-English sounds. The dictionary reference center includes a writer's guide, geographical facts, an abbreviation key, and forms of address.
A media index lists all Lycos Research Center categories. When I clicked on "Animations" and then "El Nino," the site offered basic animation, Flash animation, and a slide show.
"Versaware Inside"
Powered by patented Versaware technology, the Lycos Research Center uses the Versabook eBook format, which converts traditional content into multimedia. Versabooks link multimedia to digital content housed in digital archives.
Versabooks can be delivered on CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and over the Internet. They can also be downloaded onto your PC, an eBook reader, or a handheld PC.
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