Tech Tip: BING, Microsoft's New Search Engine

This past week Microsoft introduced a new search engine called Bing. Reviews and reports for the most part have been positive, with PC Magazine stating that as of this past Thursday, Bing was conducting more searches than Yahoo. That was probably due to Internet users sampling the new search site.

I have yet to use the site and compare the results to Google, but Microsoft claims the new approach, combining a decision engine and intuitive tools in addition to a search engine produces better and more focused results. Time will tell. AS appraisers we are always on the look out for new tools that will assist our identification and valuation searches. Bing could be another tool to use. To visit Bing click HERE.

The Bing site states We took a new approach to go beyond search to build what we call a decision engine. With a powerful set of intuitive tools on top of a world class search service, Bing will help you make smarter, faster decisions. We included features that deliver the best results, presented in a more organized way to simplify key tasks and help you make important decisions faster.
Bing, according to Microsoft is a new search engine designed to do more than merely help you find information. Bing organizes search results and provides refinement tools that help you overcome information overload, get things done and quickly bring you to the point of using that information to make an informed decision. The current state of Internet search leaves much to be desired. According to a Microsoft-commissioned survey by Harris Interactive Inc., half of attempted search queries fail to meet consumer needs, and nearly three-quarters of people consider search results too disorganized. Armed with this knowledge, we set out to create a new type of search experience with improvements in three key areas:

• Delivering great search results and one-click access to relevant information
• Creating a more organized search experience
• Simplifying tasks and providing tools that enable insight about key decisions

Microsoft also found that 66 percent of consumers are more focused on using the Internet to get things done, rather than to simply find information. Therefore, with Bing we created much more than an Internet search engine. Instead, we created what is essentially an Internet decision engine that will help you navigate through the rampant excess of information and find the shortest distance to an informed decision.