Tag Archives: Hakia

Hakia update

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A previous post focussed on the Hakia search engine that prides itself on its credibility. The people who have joined Hakia as a member receive an occasional email update. From their latest update, Hakia says:

Imagine a digital newspaper of your own, a Web page where you can park searches or even better your questions. A system monitors new information from news sources with semantic precision everyday just for you. When you open your digital newspaper page, all relevant news articles are then displayed in an alignment of your choice. WE HAVE ALREADY BUILT THIS SERVICE FOR YOU! Go to my.hakia.com and customize your own digital newspaper.

Customising your own page is quick and easy. News headlines for Australia are available (but weather is not). Users are able to move customised selections around the page (even after selecting Australian headlines, US and Europe headlines were featured at the top of the page, however, bringing Australian headlines up to the top of the page means that it sticks there, saving the user having to scroll through the page.

Hakia are keen to hear from users about ideas to make Hakia and the web even better. Drop them a line at myidea@hakia.com with your thoughts.

Totlol

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Just in time for the holidays, but with educational applications too, comes the fabulous Web 2.0 resource Totlol.

Labelled YouTube for toddlers, Totlol uses videos from YouTube that have been selected by parents/educators as appropriate for children aged 6 months to grade school (primary school). Videos are then placed in a queue to be moderated by other Totlol members before they are uploaded and available for public viewing.

Parents or teachers that are still concerned about the possibility of inappropriate content can set filters, parent locks and timers (so that children do not watch videos for too long).

As with sites like Hakia, Totlol’s viability really depends on the community helping to build it by recommending videos to be added to the site. Totlol is a brilliant idea as there are so many useful and educational videos on YouTube, but YouTube users are meant to be aged 13 and up. Parents/educators worried abour questionable videos available on YouTube can now breathe a sigh of relief!

Thanks to Gerald Brown via IASL listserv for the heads up on this great resource.

Hakia

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Hakia is a search engine that prides itself on bringing credible websites to the searcher. Librarians are able to submit websites they wish to recommend to Hakia. By adding non commercial, peer reviewed websites, search results are smaller, but more reliable. Currently the credible searches only cover the topics of health and environment. 

Suggest a credible website

Suggest a credible website

Hakia also has a tool that enables searchers to compare a Google search and a Hakia search side-by-side. Although results can vary depending on the actual search, it’s certainly worth a try.

Hakia and Google compared

Hakia and Google compared

Perhaps we should all consider spending some time to help make Hakia bigger and more popular by submitting credible websites and encouraging students to use Hakia’s search engine. Collectively, we have the power to positively influence the way students do Internet searches.