Miniature Wargaming Search Engine Launched

It's a hobby first: The Miniature Wargaming Search Engine at
http://www.miniaturewargaming.com/index.php/mwg/minisearch

Through the magic of Google, I've created the first miniature
wargaming-specific search engine. It works just like a regular search
engine - in fact, it runs on Google - but it returns results only
from the 3,214 websites that I have identified as being of interest to
miniature wargamers.

The 3,214 sites include miniature wargaming-specific sites, as well as
peripheral sites relating to things such as tabletop boardgaming or
model railroading (for the terrain and modeling tips). RPG, computer
and console games, CCG, and chess sites are not in the mix.

The advantage of this is huge. If you type World War II into the
regular Google search, you won't find the first miniatures-related site
until page 26 or so. In between, you'll find Wikipedia entries,
computer games, government sites, school kids' projects, and the like.

However, if you search on World War II in the Miniature Wargaming Dot
Com Search Engine, you instantly get Google's top miniatures-related
results.

It's not perfect, of course. It only returns results from those 3,214
sites whose URLS I have typed into the system. No miniatures-related
site was deliberately excluded, but I obviously can't think of them
all. And Google still returns the results based on its own inscrutable
internal logic. I can't tell Google to emphasize particular sites.

But there also is the possibility of improvement. I can still add URLs
to the system as people suggest them. To find out if your site - or
your favorite site - is in the Miniature Wargaming Search Engine,
type the URL into the page's search box. If the site shows up, then
it's been indexed by the search engine. If not, drop me a line through
my contact form and I'll consider the site for inclusion.

If your wargaming site is not there, that also probably means that it
hasn't been included in the Miniature Wargaming Directory, so please
also take the time to visit there and also register your site. I'd like
to create the most comprehensive list of hobby sites on the internet.
The Directory is here.

Give it a try. It's still a work in progress, so not everything will be
perfect, but it's shaping up to be a useful tool.

The Engine is located at
http://www.miniaturewargaming.com/index.php/mwg/minisearch