Clusty

Clusty

File:Clusty-new-screenshot.png Clusty.com screenshot with the query "apricots"
URL	formerly clusty.com, now yippy.com
Type of site	metasearch engine
Available language(s)	English
Owner	Yippy, Inc. Ft. Myers, Florida
Created by	Carnegie Mellon University researchers
Alexa rank	27,048 (November 2011[update])[1]

Clusty was a metasearch engine developed by Vivísimo which offered clusters of results. It is now known as Yippy. Vivísimo is a company built on Web search technology developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers, much like Lycos was a decade earlier. Clusty added new features and a new interface to the previous Vivisimo clustering web metasearch. Different tabs also offer metasearches for news, jobs (in partnership with Indeed.com), U.S. government info and blogs. Customized tabs allow users to select sources for their own metasearch to create personalized tabs.

Clusty had free toolbars for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox,^[2][3] as well as a Mycroft Project search plugin for Mozilla and Firefox.^[3]

On May 14, 2010, Clusty was acquired by Yippy, Inc., an Internet startup based in Fort Myers, Florida.^[4] By April 2011, Alexa.com was reporting that "while approximately 30% of visitors to the site come from the US, where it is ranked #11,500, it is also popular in Ireland, where it is ranked #2,002." Alexa also reports that the audience for Yippy.com was overrepresented by male cohorts over 45 years old and that it was underrepresented by youth.^[5]

Clustering

A cluster is a group of similar topics that are related to the original query. The clusters are presented to the user through the Desktop metaphor of Folders. The aim of this search engine technique is to organize numerous search results into several meaningful categories (clusters).

The user benefits include:

1. Get an overview of the available themes or topics.
2. Via one or two clicks on a folder and subfolders, arrive at interesting search results that may be too far down in the ranking.
3. View similar results together in folders rather than scattered throughout a list.

Search example

A search on Clusty for "Apricots" returns the clusters:

• Dried (67)
• Delicious (13)
  • Glazed (3)
  • Sweet, Juicy (3)
  • Fresh (4)
  • Kitchen (3)
  • Other Topics (2)
• Orange (9)
• Turkey, Export (11)
• Chocolate, Dipped (12)
• Fresh apricots (11)
• Peaches, Nectarines (11)
• Salad (7)
• Apricots Know (7)
• Chicken (7)

Many of these clusters can be opened, as "Delicious" has been in the example, for further refinement.

Wii interface

Screenshot of Clusty's Wii interface with the query "apricots". The top ad has the cursor hovering over it.

Similar to Google, Cluster/Yippy have "labs" to develop and test new applications. One is the Wii interface in which Vivísimo developed a Wii-friendly version of their Clusty search engine. The main differences are:

• The whole search engine is themed to integrate better with the Wii's menus.
• The first page only offers the basic company links and the search query box.
• The clusters don't expand and also change their theme when the cursor is over each cluster.
• Each link is boxed for easier visual recognisation when the cursor is over each one.
• The fonts are sized for easier reading on a television.

Censorship

Before the acquisition Clusty had a very anti-censorship policy, clearly stating that it will remove no results from its search (with a loophole allowing for censorship by the "democratic" regimes). After the acquisition the censorship policy has been rewritten to state:

Yippy may remove from its output, in an ad-hoc manner, all but not limited to the following:

1. Politically-oriented propaganda or agendas
2. Pornographic Material
3. Gambling content
4. Sexual products or sites that sell same
5. Anti-Semitic views or opinions
6. Anti-Christian views or opinions
7. Anti-Conservative views or opinions
8. Anti-Sovereign USA views or opinions
9. Sites deemed inappropriate for children

YIPPY RESERVES THE RIGHT – that any site or domain that displays, does business with or derives revenue from any of the above may be blocked without notice by Yippy, Inc. [...] Yippy reserves the right to redirect its users to approved sites.^[6]

As of 2010 May 27th Free Tibet Campaign search which was an example for the created tabs^[7] was no longer listed.^[8]. On October 28th 2011, the Free Tibet Campaign was listed at the top of results for "Free Tibet Campaign. Rationalrevolution.net, however, was still listed.^[9] At least one site announced it was abandoning the use of Clusty as a result of censorshop.^[10]

As of 2010 August 24, a search for "atheism" returned a list of Christian apologetics sites (compare Google). As of 28th October 2011 this list included apologetics pages but also reference pages about the nature of atheism and also atheism.org. A search for alcohol returned a list of alcoholics anonymous sites (again compare Google).

While the main search page is not completely straightforward about the political orientation of the search engine, the site's terms and conditions and mission statement are unambiguous:

Our goal is to include only content that is appropriate for all ages. We have blocked nearly 4.8 million undesirable sites, and done our best to remove content containing material which we feel does not fit this criteria.

and

Oh, we should say that we are a very far-out group of people. Everyone is a certified genius here and we work together for our goals for the love of it all. Good vs. Don't be Evil ... We are too smart to sell out to Porn, Gambling and other things that infect our society for profit. Good always wins, and conservative values will bring us our victory in the market place. God controls all creative thought, it's what you do with it that defines who you are. Are you Good or Evil ?

This statement appears to have been removed by 28th October 2011.

See also

• Data clustering
• Metasearch engine
• Vivísimo

References

1. ^ "Yippy.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/yippy.com. Retrieved 2011-11-02. 
2. ^ Internet Explorer toolbar
3. ^ ^{a b} Mozilla Firefox toolbar
4. ^ "Yippy growing by leaps, bounds". The News-Press. 23 May 2010. http://www.news-press.com/article/20100523/BUSINESS/5230344/1014/BUSINESS/Yippy-growing-by-leaps--bounds. Retrieved 24 May 2010. 
5. ^ Alexa Report, accessed April 2, 2011
6. ^ http://clusty.com/censorship
7. ^ Clusty search
8. ^ Accessed on 2010 May 27th
9. ^ Accessed on 2010 May 27th
10. ^ "Announcement - RIP Clusty", Echo of Freedom, Radical Podcast

External links

• Clusty search engine
• Vivísimo search engine
• Clusty Wii