If you have a fishtank, it is likely you might also own an aquarium pump
We also have reviewed a number of tools that run multiple searches at a time: Search Opener is a good example.
Today’s little collection includes best multi-feature web-based tools to search at least two search engines and see results side by side (either to compare them or just to be able to see more search results at a time):
2Lingual is a web-based tool that works surprisingly fast and lets you search in two languages with one click.
The app uses Google translate to automatically recognize and translate your query into the second language (this feature can be turned off).
Where the fun is:..
Since this app was reviewed by MUO 2 years ago, there have been 2 important improvements:
There is also Twitter Bilingual (also reviewed by MUO previously) search that works pretty much the same but sourcing results from Twitter real time results. It currently supports 21 languages.
There are quite a few tools that let you compare two sets of results side by side. Not all of them offer a quick way to switch between the available search engines though.
The one app that does this job comparatively well is Googawho: just type your query, get the initial columns of results and click through search engines in the header to switch between the engines.
Supported search engines: Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask, InfoSpace, AltaVista, Lycos, Dogpile.
Where the fun is:..
Like the above tool, SearchBoth gives access to several search engines but there’s no easy way to switch between them. What the tool offers though is a handy option to click through vertical search sections, like:
Note: Googawho does have links for “News”, “Images” and “Videos” as well but they didn’t always work for me.
The ability to search images in two engines simultaneously can really come in handy!
Where the fun is:..
Don’t forget to check out related search-productivity tools and tips:
Have you ever played with any of the tools above? Do you have your own favorites? Please share your thoughts!
Image Credit: seosmarty
Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
More articles about: advanced search, Bing, comparison, Google, Metasearch, search, search engine
"
With most lifestreaming services like Friendfeed, you simply plug in all of your social and online accounts, and any online activity is automatically saved in your account. Webdoc brings a new more hands-on approach of saving photos, text, videos, audio files, apps or even sketches.
To start using Webdoc, you can create a new account or sign in using your Twitter or Facebook credentials.
After signing up for an account you can find out which of your Facebook or Twitter friends are already using the service.
To create your first entry or webdoc, click the start a new webdoc and you will be presented with a dashboard of sorts where you can add the various types of content.
There are a variety of items which you can add to each of your entries, or your webdocs. As far as text is concerned, you can add a text bubble, rich text or html.
Text bubbles are fully customizable with a variety of choices for shape, orientation, color. You also have a variety of choices for the font type and size, color and justification.
You can also add entire paragraphs, with full text formatting and live links.
You can include basic sketches in your Webdocs, with the ability to adjust the brush size and colour.
When it comes to images, there are a variety of ways you can get them onto your Webdoc. You can upload them from your computer, search for images on Google or Flickr or import them from Facebook. You can also take a picture using your webcam, a great feature if you want to take a picture of yourself everyday in the vein of services like Dailybooth.
You can search for videos on YouTube and Vimeo, paste any link from a variety of video services including Hulu, Joost, DailyMotion and Viddler, amongst others. You cannot, however, upload videos from your own computer.
For the time being, audio files can only be added from SoundCloud which may be a little limiting, but since you can upload your own recordings to SoundCloud, there’s no limit to the kind of user-generated audio content you can share.
Lastly you can add Apps, little widgets that provide various types of content. Some of the available widgets include Twitter search and profiles, a countdown timer, a photo slideshow, a poll and more, allowing you to make your entries extremely interactive.
With each entry, you can choose whether to make it a public or private webdoc.
When posted, other users can post comments on your webdoc and add images, text and all other types of content available when creating an entry.
There are certain features that are lacking that, if added, would make Webdoc a real force to be reckoned with amongst lifestreaming services. Firstly, a mobile version of the site or a mobile app would make easy to capture images and more on the go. Secondly, the apps could be better used in a lifestreaming capacity if, for example, you could add your own tweets, Flickr images, and other content you share throughout the web, but limit it to the specific time period of that day.
Even if you aren’t planning to use it as a lifestreaming service, the sheer versatility of Webdoc makes it whatever you want it to be.
There are other flexible ways you can create your own lifestream which we’ve covered in the past, which include using WordPress, Twitter or Flavors.
What do you think of Webdoc? How do you think you’d use the service? And what is your preferred lifestream service? Let us know in the comments.
Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
More articles about: blogging, blogging tools, lifestream, microblogging, social media
"
