Steffen Mueller's past gig was as a product manager at Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), working on Google Maps, Froogle, and Google Web Search. Well, now he's got his own venture: Topicle.

And yes, it's focused on the massive search business. Think of it as Google meets Wikipedia. Essentially, Topicle relies on the efforts of users, who collect helpful web links. These are based on voting, using a 1-5 scale.

Ironically enough, Topicle is in a way a move to the past. After all, when Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) got its start, the search results were primarily based on the decisions of, well, people.

In theory, Topicle makes sense and should result in relevant results. However, it's going to be tough to get critical mass, especially in light of the many search options available for users. Besides, building a site that's based on user participation is never an easy thing to do.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.