Very cool article in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, December 19th, in the Technology Report, titles "Beyond Google." There are a lot of new, specialty search engines out there and it would be worth your while to check some of them out. For Job Listings: www.SimplyHired.com, www.indeed.com, http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ For Industry Information: http://www.globalspec.com/ - the Engineering Search Engine, http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/ for Scientific Research, http://www.it.com/ for IT Solutions, http://lawcrawler.findlaw.com/ for legal research. For Reference Sources: www.answer.com There is also a good article about the coming wave of specialty search here http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,120962,00.asp What does this mean for businesses that use search. I think that it really changes the equation in many ways. The business to business buyer and seller are going to soon be doing business in a whole new way and I think that not many of us have really started to think about this. In the past, businesses bought from other businesses based largely on personal referrals. There was an element of trust involved, or at least we thought that there was an element of trust involved. But just because we know Charlie and Charlie golfs with a former work mate on Saturdays who happens to sell insurance, well is this really the best way to do business? My dad was surprised a few years ago when I told him that I found my life insurance policy through an online search. I received 10 quotes and chose the best one. As a business I feel the same way. I want to be able to look at several options, remove as much emotional baggage as possible and make a clear and informed decision. I think that this gives me the best results. My relationship with Charlie is really a hindrance, not a help, in this regard. I feel like there is some other reason why I am buying, not the quality of the product or service or the whole deal. I have written before about FindAccountingSoftware, an online portal for companies searching for accounting software, paid for by the participating vendors, of which SightLines Consulting is one, and there are numerous other portals like this, and more coming online all the time. This is not actually a search engine per se but it functions like one for the business buyer. The search term is actually an interview with a live person who makes sure that the business' accounting needs are well documented. The popularity of the site with both buyers and sellers is amazing and continues to grow. Another indication that the business buyer is changing fast. What does it mean for the old ways of doing business? I am not leaving the Southeastern Michigan technology hub - Automation Alley - anytime soon, but organizations like these need to understand that the world of business is changing fast, and so are buyers. | 
