The newest arsenal in Web 2.0 doesn't quite "get it" If you don't follow Web 2.0 as fanatically as I do, this story should clear things up: Techcrunch announces Rollyo A more thorough review of using this new tool can be found here: Search Engine Watch reviews Rollyo The writer (Gary Price) only mentions a few improvements that he would like to be made. However, being a search engine analyst, his arguments focus on business potential, and search technologies like page archiving. While such an approach is completely relevant SEW, it isn't for everyone, and I have decided to tackle a review from the perspective of an average, non-techy, Web 2.0 user. Now that you have an understanding of Rollyo, let me enunciate my points: 1) Rollyo will attract Web 2.0 users of both techy and non-techy dispositions. This market of users is both large and intangible. Suffice it to say that for now Rollyo won't be used by your grandmother. As it is a new phenomenon, only internet users who frequent constantly updated news-sites (slashdot, digg) and/or an active social bookmarking service, will have heard about Rollyo. So far this plays into Rollyo's favor as experienced web-users can provide the most relevant feedback on a search-based product; these users will promote innovative products through blog entries and generate a greater knowledge-base for employing Rollyo. If Rollyo can garner sufficient favor from the Web 2.0 realm, the rewards could prove well worth the company's effort in responding to those users. 2) Rollyo must become more open. Currently, providing feedback to Rollyo leaves one with very few outlets: a short FAQ, a simple contact form, and a soon to be appearing blog. The lack of a blog at this point in the game (public beta) is especially striking as updates to the site will be largely unspoken until it appears. A blog also adds another dimension of publicity that is vital to building up Rollyo's image. Inquisitive users will find that they can find out very little concerning Rollyo's origin, planning, and goals. While mystique can be used to temporarily bolster a site's hype (the Flock browser would be an ideal example) such an effect cannot last forever. Granted, not all information needs to be made available, but showing a willingness to work with, rather than simply absorb, new users will be key to meaningful development. 3) Although Rollyo has been labeled as Web 2.0, it still lacks many basic functions as a communicative search tool. There are no RSS feeds; tags are used, but only as an exchange for keywords as users cannot view related tags under any setting; users cannot interact with other users, beyond viewing profiles and saving individual Searchrolls. 4) The site design of Rollyo is provocative but hardly useful. Sure, the red white and rounded motif is pretty slick rendering, but the navigational layout is horrendous. All the emphasis is placed on a few celebrity "High Rollers"; any user-centric navigation is minimized in both function and execution. For example, I can view all of my created Searchrolls, but only if I follow "My Profile" at the top to "Show All" under My Searchrolls (right-hand side). I am rewarded with a rather worthless list of my Searchrolls as it contains no detailed information (as would be expected) but simply inserts the list over the hum-drum of things I am not looking for (recent searchrolls, high rollers, etc). This may seem nit-picky, but any product analyst could tell you the fundamental importance of layout: if a consumer is pleased with an intuitive and useful layout they are far more likely to return. However, Rollyo's layout verges on the inane--start.com almost has a better grasp. 5) Rollyo still has potential. Despite all that I have ranted on the inadequacies of Rollyo I must commend the designers and programmers for what they have done right. Rollyo is a great new way to understand and employ search. Rollyo is easy to use--just sign-up, pick a topic, and Searchroll it (for those who need a place to get started, try importing your bookmarks).Rollyo does encourage active participation; without users to create new Searchrolls and update old ones, Rollyo would soon lose value as a search tool. The greatest benefit of Rollyo is the reciprocal nature of give and get. One flaw of free open-source projects is motivation: many of the programmers who make the tools have skills beyond those they are designing for. Rollyo provides a 1:1 ratio of contribution and benefit. For every Searchroll you add to the public database, you have given yourself another great way to search your favorite things in your favorite places. Like Gary Price and the authors of TechCrunch, I will be keeping an eye out for future developments. It is my hope that Rollyo will be able to expand and flourish as a new and innovative way to search the web. In the meanwhile, my contributions to this effort can be found here: http://rollyo.com/profile.html?uid=2094 (tip: currently the only way to find the permanent link to one's profile page is by loggin in, going to My Profile, and using the right-mouse click or another command to "View Source", the uid number for that user can be found there)