There are now two alternative search engines with practically the same concept and design; Symbaloo and Sputtr. Each one features a home page covered with tiny square buttons. Each allows you to change the page, add or delete buttons; move them around. And each has a limited selection, for now.

This is good; we are watching innovation.

I was just talking to Sputtr, asking them when I could create my own button by entering a search engine of my own choosing.

Here’s their answer: “Please note that the total number of search engine choices that you can add to the page will increase rapidly over time. Please be patient with us as we add more search options to the list over the coming weeks – we’re currently aiming to add around 10 new search engines every week!”

Here’s the same question put to Symbaloo:

Can I add blocks myself (e.g. a link to a site I use every day)?

“At this moment, no! But within a few weeks it will be possible. Until that moment you may find our bookmark widget (the 2nd green block) useful.”

So who’s going to be the first one to allow you and me to fully customize our own homepages?

Round One: Symbaloo

Please try this at home:

1) Go to: www.symbaloo.com

2) You will see a whole bunch of colored squares, but in the middle will be two columns of blank gray squares.

3) Put your mouse over one of these gray squares and you will see a green “+” sign and the words “add here.” Click on the green “+” symbol.

4) A large white box will pop up that says, “Add Content.” In the middle will be a row of six colored boxes. But above those squares it will say: Search Modules | Links | News Feeds | Widgets. Click on the words, “News Feeds.”

5) The white box will change. On the left will be a series of icons, and on the right will be three boxes. The bottom box will say, “Add your own feed.” You’re almost done!

6) In that box, type in: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AltSearchEngines

7) To the right of that box, click on the “add” button.

8 The program will process it, and the square will now say, “feeds.feedburner.com.”

9) It will not say, “AltSearchEngines;” that’s something that Symbaloo has to work on.

10) Click on that new square and see what pops up in the very middle!

I have just invited Sputtr and Symbaloo to leave remarks in the comments section.

Of course your comments are especially welcome!