There are a number of search tools that will retrieve results from more than one location. Google is a great example, where the results display relevant images or even Youtube videos. Google Mail can search Google Docs and Google Sites at the same time. WebMynd expands those possibilities across other Web sites, search tools, and accounts to retrieve content from a variety of sources.
When you search using Google after installing their add-on, a small vertical bar will appear on the right side of your screen. It is populated with a variety of sites that can be searched, from news to shopping to personal productivity and social media.
Webmynd have developed free Web browser plug-ins for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari to enable the search bar. There is even a version for Microsoft Internet Explorer, but when I tried it, it was missing connections to some of the resources I would use the most, like Google Mail.
This is actually a custom search bar, geared as much to publishers who want to create their own tool for their users as Webmynd’s. In fact, the developers are focusing in other areas, so if you don’t see a resource that you can use out of the box or tweak, this probably isn’t something you want to follow up.
You can install the custom Webmynd search bar I created, utilizing many of the prebuilt sources from Webmynd (Google Mail, Docstoc, Quora, Twitter, etc.) and supplementing with my own law-related sites: a couple of the Legal Information Institutes, JDSupra, and so on. The Webmynd search bar works great if there is a single search box on the site you’re trying to use. If there isn’t, it seems to choke. Also, since most of the LIIs block indexing of their case law for privacy reasons, you are limited to legislative results. Likewise, Google Custom searches, even using search boxes anchored by domain names like Feefiefoefirm.com, weren’t usable.
Here’s what it looks like in action (4 minutes, Youtube.com)
