What’s The Difference Between A Search Engine, A Search Destination And A Portal?

LookSmart has today unveiled some more focused search engines, according to a press release from the company:

It calls them ‘vertical search destinations’ to ‘provide niche audiences with essential search results, versus the typically exhaustive returns from other search engines’:

• the trendy www.teenja.com for teens;
• the more studious www.gradewinner.com for “tweens;”
• and www.24hourscholar.com for college students.

Two additional resources are dedicated to parents:

• www.parentsurf.com for all family matters;
• and www.gobelle.com for moms on the go.

Here’s LookSmart’s philosophy: “LookSmart believes that search on the Web will become increasingly vertical and personal. Consumers turn to the Web in search of essential content, be it related to a hobby, work or education,” says Debby Richman, senior vice president of consumer products for LookSmart.

The idea is to ‘tightly integrate’ these engines, or ‘destinations’ (kinda blurs the distinction between a search engine and a portal, eh folks?) via Furl, LookSmart’s consumer online filing cabinet. I’m not quite clear how that tight integration is going to work, but it will be interesting to watch.