SOURCE: Searchles

July 23, 2008 09:30 ET

Searchles Discovery Widget Launches on washingtonpost.com's MyPost Personal Profile Pages

Tool Uncovers Like-Minded Comments, Enables Content Discovery Through Trusted Peers

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - July 23, 2008) - Searchles® -- the intelligent social search and social networking platform that gets smarter every time you use it -- today announced that washingtonpost.com will add Searchles social widget to personal profile pages on MyPost. The implementation of this Searchles Discovery® technology -- grounded in social search analytics and relevant keywords -- provides the intelligent mechanisms to continually introduce readers to those with common interests, knocking down barriers to meaningful content discovery and strengthening the interactive capabilities of washingtonpost.com's readership directly through networks of trusted peers.

"washingtonpost.com has been a dynamic force in online news in recognizing the value in facilitating an interactive online community," said Elias Shams, CEO of Searchles. "As a technologist and a Washingtonian, I hope this strategic partnership continues to position our nation's capital as a dynamic social web and technology hub."

"The widget creates a customized channel, connecting a MyPost user with people posting similar comments across the site," said Jim Brady, Executive Editor of washingtonpost.com. "It enhances the social networking elements on MyPost and is one of the many technologies we're exploring to give readers the most interactive online experience."

Intelligent search technology powered by Searchles auto-assembles a user-generated tag cloud based on consumption -- both quickly relaying user interests and expertise when viewing profiles as well as serving as a basis to offer a display of related users. A 'searchle it!' bookmark button will also be installed on washingtonpost.com articles, pushing content out to Searchles' community of users as well.

The widget is part of Searchles Discovery® technology that is geared towards online publishers, bloggers, and social network sites and priced based on set up fee and a revenue-share working scenario. Social Discovery tools offer a set of customizable solutions for boosting site-engagement, realizing full value of site content by using it as a foundation to build and utilize networks of trusted peers, as well as enhancing social search features and capabilities for targeted advertising. This partnership will allow washingtonpost.com to further personalize their online presence as trusted news source and to continue as a leader in transforming traditional media consumption into a genuinely social online experience.

About Searchles

[Search + Circles =] Searchles is a highly scaleable "social search" platform that showcases expertise, enables collaboration with peers and instantly captures it in searchable knowledge indexes. The platform is a hybrid, combining aspects of "social bookmarking" and "social networking" technology with analytical "social search" capability to allow for network search.

Network search enables users to discover content with personalized filtering features that include tags and keywords, as well as the ability to apply these same filters to search all postings, groups, friends, or friends' friends based on each user's personal criteria. By analyzing the associations and patterns between trusted people, sources, tags and content, Searchles is able to deliver more precise results while suggesting relevant content and people as well.

The proprietary technology behind Searchles is an evolution of the search engine Dumbfind, developed by veteran search technologist and Searchles' founder and CTO Chris Seline. Both brands are wholly owned by Searchles, Inc., a privately held company based in Washington, D.C. backed by angel investors. http://www.searchles.com

About washingtonpost.com

washingtonpost.com is an award-winning news and information destination that delivers world-class reporting and innovative multimedia content, creating a truly interactive news experience. Using the latest technology and tools, washingtonpost.com encourages participation and content customization across all platforms, allowing readers to engage with washingtonpost.com anytime, anywhere. Winner of four consecutive Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence for Non-Broadcast Affiliated Web site, washingtonpost.com is owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, the online publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company.