blekko: how to slash the web from blekko on Vimeo.

Blekko is a new search engine that fundamentally changes a few key assumptions about how search works. It's not for lazywebbers - you have to pretty much be a motivated search geek to really leverage blekko's power. But then again, there are literally hundreds of thousands of such folks - the entire SEO/SEM industry, for example. I've been watching blekko, and the team behind it, since before launch. They are search veterans, not to be trifled with, and they are exposing data that Google would never dream of doing (yes, they do pretty much a full crawl of the web that matters). In a way, blekko has opened up the kimono of search data, and I expect the service, once it leaves private beta, will become a favorite of power searchers (and developers) everywhere.

The cool thing is, using blekko's data and (I hope) robust APIs, one can imagine all sorts of new services popping up. I for one wish blekko well. It's about time.

And in case you are wondering what the big deal is, besides all the data you can mine, to my mind, it's the ability to cull the web - to "slash" the stuff you don't care about out of your search results. Now, not many of us actually will do that. But will services take that and run? I certainly hope so.

For a quick overview of blekko's core feature - "slashtags" - check out the new video, above. And to bone up on the various merits of the service, here are a few key links:

Blekko: A Search Engine Which Is Also A Killer SEO Tool (SEL)

TechCrunch Review: The Blekko Search Engine Prepares To Launch (TC)

A new search engine Blekko search: first impressions (Economist)

Blekko's Tools Give Search Marketers Google Alternative (MediaPost)

Update: First 500 readers get a beta invite! Email battelle@blekko.com to get in on it!