One of the biggest challenges we face is how to convey the power and convenience of TWERQ, as well as how it can help both novice or savvy users. It offers much more functionality then people are used to when it comes to searching the web and some of the advanced features may seem confusing on the surface.

I like to use the analogy driving down the highway. When it comes time to pass another car, it is nice to have a car that has the extra power to quickly overtake the vehicle and be on your way. If you think of how people search the information highway there are many similarities. Everyone searches at there own speed and there are always times you wish you could do more to find what you are looking for faster.

There are 3 key benefits at the core of TWERQ’s unique technology which I feel will help us to overcome this challenge.

The same but different.
People are use to the way they search. Our goal with TWERQ has been to make it a seamless transition to a new more effective way of searching. The easiest way to start searching with TWERQ is to simply start using it as you would any other search product. By default, each time you conduct a standard search, rather then replacing results that are displayed, results internally open a new tab on the webpage and not the browser. This allows to you instantly flip through previous searches and quickly identify which search term has the most relevant results. When you select a tab your search term is selected so you can easily type in another keyword or refine the current one and do another search.

More power when you need it.
TWERQ’s advanced features are mostly under the hood and can be used on demand very easily. It starts with what are called Q-Triggers which are a special set of commands. These commands allow you do all your refining in one search string, then conduct multiple searches from various sources of information simultaneously. Other key features allow you save, open, share and collaborate with others the information you find.

Where ever and when ever you need it.
Each and every feature of TWERQ has been developed to make searching easier, more convenient and portable. Your information and what you find is in your control and you can access it from anywhere in the world at any time.

We have also been working on simple and easy to understand tips, help documentation and presentations. Ultimately it will be user questions, comments and suggestions which will help us to improve this so keep the feedback coming. We truly appreciate it!

For more information about TWERQ’s features please visit http://www.twerq.com

Wesley Long

[tags]Wesley Long, twerq, twerq search, search engine, twerq blog, blog[/tags]

This is a common and loaded question because there are many differences. Searching for something on the web more often then not requires multiple searches and various combinations of keywords. You start off with one keyword or phrase, then keep refining and weeding out irrelevant results until you find what you are looking for. Our primary goal and focus is to help people do this a lot faster.

The major difference between TWERQ and other internet search tools starts with tabbed results for multiple, completely different searches. This is accompanied by practical time saving features designed to really improve the user experience of searching for and retaining relevant information.

- Use less memory than multiple browser tabs or windows
- One browser window or tab for all searches.
- Instantly flip through multiple results, feeds, images and video.
- Reduce the repetition of re-entering search terms.
- Simultaneously search for multiple keywords or phrases.
- Quickly identify which keywords provide best results.
- Never lose your place or what you find.
- Save relevant information to access anytime from anywhere.
- Share & collaborate with people searching for the same thing.
- Aggregate information you find through a RSS Feed.
- Portable settings, searches and saved information.

The feedback and response we have gotten has been fantastic. It has been exciting to watch TWERQ evolve and grow. Since the launch of Beta RC3 in February our member base has grown from 330 members to just about 1,200 and our search count has gone from 87K to 185K and continues to steadily grow everyday with next to no promotion. I am even more excited to announce we will be launching the latest version of TWERQ by the end of May 2007. Over 70 new features and enhancements have been implemented in the soon to be released Beta RC4 Hive Edition which includes a major new feature as you might have guessed called the TWERQ Hive.

The TWERQ Hive is a collaborative search platform that harnesses the power of social networking without the political and gaming issues normally associated with such services. It allows people who are searching for the same or similar information to help each other out by letting them collaborate what they find. There are no buddy lists, user profiles, user contacts or really any of the functionality you would expect from a social platform. This places the focus collectively on relevant results and helps everyone find what they are looking for faster.

- Search hive lists and find relevant information.
- Create or join a public hive to collaborate with others.
- Create or join private hives for group collaborative searches.
- Make a public request for collaboration on any search.
- Invite friends, family & colleagues to a public or private hive.
- Relate/Unrelate different searches together.
- Relate/Unrelate QuickTags to searches.
- Relate/Unrelate Shortlists
- Relevant results, feeds, stories, images and video.
- Import Hive List as a TWERQ2GO Shortlist.
- Export TWERQ2GO Shortlist to Hive List
- Save and Open Hive Lists
- Aggregate Hive lists with RSS

More detailed information on the TWERQ Hive and other enhancements will be available at the time of launch. A new video demonstrating these new features and enhancements is currently under production and will also be available at that time. User feedback is a very important to us. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us. Your help is appreciated.

Wesley Long

[tags]Wes Long, twerq, twerq search, search engine, twerq blog, blog[/tags]

There are many people, asking many questions and I am glad to finally being able to answer them for you through our new official blog. It is hard to even put into words how excited I am over the response to TWERQ since our launch 8 months ago. I would like to thank all of you who provide us with feedback and help us track down bugs.

For my first official post into the blogosphere I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to address some of questions regarding myself personally as well as how I came up with the idea.

I have been a professional designer for over 15 years. I spent the first half of my career working in the print and sign industry. In 2000 I began to freelance my design services on the web. It was also at this point made the transition into website design and development.

In March of 2006 I decided to start work on a better way to search the web during my spare time. My motivation came from the accumulated frustration of using the same search engine interfaces for more then a decade. Like every other project I work on I fired up CorelDraw and began designing what I thought would be the ultimate search interface. As with all projects I started with the name and logo. While playing with names, my fiancé Daisy suggested we try something like QWERTY. I really liked the fact that it was all on one line on the keyboard and was easy type. I began looking for alternatives. I came up with the acronym “The Web’s Effective Result Query�? / TWERQ. It is pronounced like “TWORK�?. I immediately identified as a logo the “Q” meaning Query could be a magnifying glass representing “search” or “query”.

With the logo done, I started working on the actual interface. It was at this point I had the idea for search tabs to be created based on whether a check box was checked or not. I wasn’t entirely sure that this could be integrated into a web application so I contracted a programmer to attempt a bare bone prototype. Eureka it works! Of course this was without search results and any of the features which today make TWERQ so powerful like q-triggers and quicktags.

A lot has changed a year later. This once small spare time project has grown from a little idea to a robust interface, that is quickly becoming popular. I could not have done this alone. I have been lucky to have surrounded myself with a great development and management team who believe in TWERQ and are committed to it’s long term growth.

I am going to do my best to post to this blog at least once a week to answer questions or talk about TWERQ news or developments as well as various industry topics. I would like to thank all of you in advance for any comments or suggestions, keep the feedback coming.

Wesley Long

[tags]TWERQ, Search engine, search, twerq blog, blog[/tags]