Y!Q Beta FAQ

Y!Q Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

How is Y!Q different from a regular web search?
There are two main differences between Y!Q and regular web searches:
- Y!Q lets you search from any web page you're on so you don't have to interrupt your workflow to find more information. Traditional web searches force you to go to a specific search page and type in a query.
- A regular web search only uses your search term or "query" to find what you're looking for. Y!Q uses both your query and information you highlight on a webpage to determine the "context" of your search. Using this "context," Y!Q provides exactly the type of information you're looking for. A traditional search does not utilize context and isn't a contextual search.
In addition, because Y!Q is a contextual search, it typically returns more relevant results for short queries, compared to regular web searches. For instance, if you were to type in the query "apple" in a regular web search box, you would probably see results about the computer company, the fruit, and possibly other references. However, if you were already on a web page about computers and then highlighted some text on that webpage and typed the same "apple" query using Y!Q, you'd see results that were specific only to Apple computers. Y!Q thus distinguishes what you want based on the context you select in the page you're on.

What does "contextual" or "related" search mean?

A "contextual search" uses information that is associated with your query to return more relevant search results. This information forms the "context" of your search and is generally associated with the web page, email, or article that you're reading.

Most people read an article, an email, or some page from a web browser and then form questions based on that material. They typically they want to dig deeper into the topic or simply look for related information. Y!Q leverages the information you're already reading to extract the "context" of your search. Thus the name "contextual search."

If you perform a search without typing in a query or simply by selecting text on the webpage, Y!Q will find related information about the text you've selected. Thus the term "related search."

I can use CTR-F to find information on my current web page. How is Y!Q different?

CTR-FIND is a function of your web browser and is limited to searching the web page you are on for text that matches the text you add to the CTR-F search box on. CTR-F does not leverage the actual information contained on that web page to find relevant web results and is therefore not considered a contextual search.

I want to try it out before I download the toolbar. Is there a way to do this easily?

Yes. You can try Y!Q by going to the Y!Q Search page. This page allows you to copy/paste text or type in queries without having to worry about query syntax. Y!Q will use this information to determine the key concepts and perform a related search. The contextual search result page then allows you to further refine the query, de-select concepts you don't like, or change the focus of the terms that were extracted.

When I select one or two words with the toolbar and do a related search, the results look very similar to a regular keyword search. Am I doing something wrong?

Try selecting more words (e.g.: a sentence, a small paragraph), and then typing in a short query (or no query at all). Because Y!Q looks for the context of your search, the more information you provide, the more likely you are to get more results related to your search. When you select only one or two words, the context may be too limited and thus provide results that are very similar to regular search results.

Once I have a context selected, can I type shorter queries (since Y!Q knows what I'm looking for)?

Yes. This is one of the strengths of Y!Q. Once you have a context selected, this context will be used to augment your query. Since Y!Q has already extracted the context you're searching within, you can use shorter queries.

Can I copy/paste a long paragraph or any text into the search box of the toolbar or Firefox?

Yes. You can copy and paste lots of text into the search box. In fact, we've made the Y!Q search box bigger for this very purpose. See the Y!Q Search page for more information.

Does Y!Q produce more relevant results than regular web search? Do you have an example?

In general Y!Q is designed to return more relevant search results compared to regular web search. This is because Y!Q has additional input, in the form of a context, that regular web search does not. For one or two word queries especially, this context may help to significantly increase the relevancy of your results.

Consider this example. If you were to type in the query "gas mileage" into a standard search engine, there would be no way the search engine could know exactly which gas mileage results you were looking for. However, if you were using Y!Q and were on a particular web page, for instance one about a specific car, you could click the related search button on the toolbar, and then type in "gas mileage." Y!Q would know that the "gas mileage" you were searching for is specifically associated with the car you were reading about.

Will Y!Q work with different languages other than English?

Y!Q currently only works reliably in English.

I'm concerned about privacy issues. Is Y!Q watching what I'm reading and sending information back to Yahoo?

No. Y!Q is not watching what you're reading or doing. You tell Y!Q exactly what you're interested in by highlighting information on a page. So Y!Q can get the context right without having to employ other strategies.

There are other cool browsers available (e.g., Opera, Fastbrowser). Are you planning to support them too?

We're working on it. If you're a developer, please take a look at our Web API or the Firefox search plug-in which shows you how to send requests to Y!Q. You may also send us suggestions about how to implement Y!Q in different browsers.

Can I search with no query? I heard Y!Q also works "query-less."

Yes. The "query-less" search is another of Y!Q's key features. Just select some text and click the Y!Q button. Y!Q will return related results for the text you have selected.

I sometimes hear people saying that they "Y!Qed" something. What does this mean?

This is just another way of saying that they used Y!Q to do a contextual or related search. If you "Y!Q" something, you select some text on a web page and perhaps leverage this context with shorter queries to get relevant results. Or you copy and paste large text selections into the search box and do a related search. Please experiment with text selections alone, queries only, copy and pasting text into the query box, combining queries with selected text to get a feel for how a Y!Q search works.

Embedding Y!Q into Web pages

What value should I choose for the 'context' parameter?

The general idea of Y!Q is that is uses context for augmenting search queries. Therefore any additional information in form of regular text that you can put into this field---when you think it might be helpful for the search engine when evaluating the query---is appropriate. Typical values are a few words, a sentence (e.g., the title of an article), an abstract of an article, or title + abstract). Y!Q analyzes the context you provide and determines automagically the most important keywords to use.

Does the 'p' value have to be the same as the 'context' value?

No. These are independent parameters. Think of the 'p' value to be a regular search query (which represents the focus), and the 'context' to be additional information that can be used to improve the quality of results (e.g., provide extra information to the 'p' value).

What value should I choose for the 'p' value?

Think of the 'p' value like if you would articulate a regular search query (e.g., keywords).

What is the difference between 'context' and 'siteContext'?

The 'siteContext' is used to provide extra information (e.g., a category, the title of a page etc.) that can be used to augment the 'context'. Similar to 'context' you can put in a few words, a sentence (e.g., a title of an article), a paragraph of text, or an abstract plus title of an article.

What cool things can I do with 'c1', 'c2', or 'c3' values?

There is literally no limit when it comes to these parameters - any wellformed HTML is ok. They were specifically designed and added to the API so that you can put in any extra content that you think may be relevant and appropriate for the selected 'p' and 'context' parameters. For example, you can use it to show images, related navigational links, extra text information. Since you have three of those parameters, you can use the 'sourceOrder' parameter to decide on where to place their content within the Y!Q overlay.

Does Y!Q work on Linux?

Yes. We support Y!Q on Firefox for Linux.

What are the supported browsers for Y!Q?

We support Firefox and Internet Explorer on Windows, Firefox and Safari on OS X, and Firefox on Linux.

How can I restrict a related search to a specific site?

You can use the siteRestriction field. Please see more details on the Y!Q Web API page.

Can I specify terms that Y!Q picks?

No. Y!Q expects a context and it will then determine what terms to use from it.

Is there a way that I can set the focus of a related search?

Yes. You can use the p field. Please see more details on the Y!Q Web API page.

Why does my search time out?

This can be a connection problem from your computer to the Y!Q server. Please verify your network settings. If you are connected to the Internet but still get the timeout message, please send us feedback so we can investigate.

I'm using Safari. Instead of showing me the overlay when I click on the Y!Q button, it redirects me directly to the search result page. Is this correct?

Yes. We currently do not support the Y!Q overlay display for Safari. In cases where we do not support a particular browser, clicking on a Y!Q icon will show the Y!Q contextual search results page directly.

Why do I need to specify the context in an extra hidden field? Can this be simplified?

We're working on simplifications for the API to make it as easy as possible to integrate Y!Q into a web page. Currently the context has to be specified in the hidden context parameter. Please check back often on our Y!Q Web API for further enhancements and additions downstream.

Why doesn't Y!Q t work when I deploy it on a page that is in a frame?

Y!Q can not currently be used on a page within a frame. It should only be used on the parent HTML document.

IE Toolbar

Does the regular Y! Toolbar have Y!Q also integrated?

Yes. Starting with version 6.1 the Y! Toolbar has Y!Q integrated. You can select any text on the current web page and Y!Q it. Please download the latest version of the Y! Toolbar at http://toolbar.yahoo.com

Can I further customize the toolbar?

Yes. We recently uploaded a new version that allows you to further customize the appearance of the toolbar. Please see the FAQ " How can I customize YQ in my toolbar?" above for detailed information on how to do this.

The toolbar takes away too much space. Can I make it smaller?

Yes. You can go to the DemoBar's option menu, click "Options", and set it to "mini-mode." Other configurations are also possible. Please check out the Y!Q Help page for details.

Why do I need to download a new toolbar? Can't you simply add it to the Y! Companion toolbar?

The recent version of the Y! toolbar 6.1 (http://toolbar.yahoo.com) supports now Y!Q. However, you can still download the Y!Q Demobar if you like. To save space, use the "options" menu in the Y!Q DemoBar and select "mini-mode." This will shrink the Y!Q DemoBar to a small size, so that it can be combined more easily with other toolbars in IE.

Will Y!Q work if I don't select any text?

Yes, it will. However, to leverage Y!Q's full potential, we recommend you select some text. This information will be used to provide more relevant results for your query. It also helps you to type shorter queries, since the selected text probably contains the missing piece of information that is needed for good results. Please experiment with different text selections and queries to get a feel for how it works. Alternatively, you can copy and paste large text selections into the search box and do a related search.

Can I select the whole page and do a related search?

Yes, this works as well. However, to make the search more focused we recommend you select smaller text pieces, like a few sentences or a paragraph.

I'm already using Google, MSN and Yahoo! toolbars and can search from these. Why should I download the Y!Q DemoBar?

The other toolbars provide regular web search, whereas Y!Q supports contextual and related search. The two types of searches are quite different. To see this difference for yourself, try this: copy/paste a long paragraph into a regular search box and see what happens. Now do the same with Y!Q. Notice the difference?

What is the difference between the 'Related Search' and the 'Web Search' button?

The "Related Search" button does a Y!Q search. It uses context information (if provided) to provide more relevant results. The "Web Search" button will ignore any selected text and just search for the keywords in the search box, just as a regular search would.

I highlighted some text on the page using the toolbar. Do I still need to copy it into the search box?

No. If you want to do a Y!Q search on some text, you do not need to copy/paste the text into the search box. Simply click the Y!Q button, and look at the results. However, if you want to do a regular web search you will need to type or copy and paste text into the search box and click the "Web Search" button.

Firefox

Firefox already has a search plug-in. Why do I need Y!Q?

The standard Firefox plug-ins do not support contextual search and are basic web search plug-ins. Firefox doesn't have a Y!Q plug-in by default. To see the difference between the standard Firefox plug-ins and Y!Q, try to copy/paste long text into a regular plug-in like Yahoo! Search or Google and see what happens. Then try the same thing with Y!Q and note the difference.

Can I get Y!Q to work in Safari on the Mac?

Yes. There is free software called "AcidSearch" that, once installed, allows you to add Y!Q very easily to Safari and even make it the default search. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get it working, but it's worth the time if your favorite browser is Safari. Just add a Y!Q entry there and set the URL to: http://yq.search.yahoo.com/search?context=

I have trouble getting ConQuery to work on the Mac. Is there another way to integrate it into Firefox?

Yes. There are many different Firefox extensions available that support right-click text selection and then send it to Y!Q (assuming you have the Y!Q search plug-in installed.) Just browse the Firefox extensions page.

Can I easily uninstall the search plug-in? Will it leave any traces behind after uninstall?

The search plug-in is just a file located in the Firefox plug-in folder. Simply remove the yq.src and the yq.gif, restart Firefox, and it is removed completely.

Y!Q Beta Search in context

Y!Q Beta
Search in context