What would happen if one day a documentary service were discovered that even Google does not provide? What would occur if this service could potentially be used by any user who employs the search engine? Probably, a great demand and specific needs would arise, which could only be satisfied by this service. The major Web services and ideas shared precisely this characteristic. This is the case of TinyURL, which emerged in 2002. Who would have thought that a URL shortening and redirection service would become so indispensable today and so simple to design (a table with two fields to store the original URL and the shortened URL)? The case of Facebook and social networks also illustrates original ideas that address or create needs in areas of our personal and professional lives that had previously been overlooked, regardless of any existing interests. From this reflection emerges the idea of creating something absolutely new—from a practical, conceptual, and even philosophical standpoint. Why do we use search engines in one way and not another? What do we truly use from the Web? What information do we need in our daily lives? What philosophy of searching do we unconsciously hold?
To address such questions, work has been ongoing to develop an innovative documentary service specifically tailored for search engines, which will transform the way information retrieval is observed and understood today. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, and Baidu will be the target and subject of this new applied research. However, unlike other studies, this new service will be publicly released, freely accessible, open, and free for everyone. It is not intended solely as an application for information professionals. The intended audience is anyone who regularly uses search engines or needs to find information on the Web, which is expected to have a significant impact on the use of traditional search services.
All updates regarding the progress of this project will be published on mblazquez.es, with its official name to be revealed on the day of its public launch. In the meantime, I kindly ask for your attention over the coming months, as important results are anticipated, along with the opening of a participation program to test this new service prior to its release date.
Thank you for your continued interest,
Prof. Manuel Blázquez Ochando