Another Take on Lousy Web Search
August 11, 2011
As society is quickly becoming more mobile phone based, the internet industry workers should shift developments in that direction. That is the assertion of the article, Is Web Search in Need of a Shake-Up?, on Locker Gnome. The article reviews an academic paper of similar name, Search Needs a Shake-Up, by Oren Etzioni.
The high and the low of the paper is that search engines’ techniques have largely not changed in the twenty years the world-wide-web has existed and that is simply not acceptable. Since the invention of the internet (thank you, Al Gore) and web, the devices conducting searches have changed beyond what Gene Roddenberry ever imagined.
Once, web surfers were tied down to desktop computers, but now the majority of web users are accessing the internet via their Smartphones or tablets. Because of the limits (mainly screen size) of such devices, web searches should have evolved to become more user-friendly, moving beyond the algorithms that got it thus far. The article explains,
“A search engine of the future should be more than a trained monkey that knows how to find strings of text — it should be able to intelligently discern the connections between what’s being sought after and pertinent entities — such as people, places, and things — for a more sharply relevant series of results.”
As any good infomercial sales person knows, once a problem is identified, there’d better dad-gum be a solution! Etzioni did not disappoint. He recommends Reverb, an open-source tool developed by his own University of Washington Turing Center, as an important first step for the next generation of search engines.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 11, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Protected: A Tip for Adding Muscle to SharePoint
August 11, 2011
Content Analyst and iCONECT Team Up
August 10, 2011
The Content Analyst folks bought me dinner once. Nevertheless, my memories of a Taco Bell event have faded, and we wanted to let you know about the announcement “iCONECT Development, LLC Announced an Integration with Content Analyst Company, LLC.” ICONECT provides law practitioners with litigation support and collaboration software. Content Analyst furnishes advanced search tools and indexing technology.
Content Analyst’s software eschews the keyword approach and, instead, recognizes concepts and categories. ICONECT also works with categories, and places related documents in nested folders. The company focuses on improving document review workflow, their clients’ most time-consuming process.
The press release quotes Kurt Michel, President of Content Analyst, regarding the partnership:
We are excited that iCONECT has selected Content Analyst’s unique Dynamic Clustering and Categorization capabilities to help their partners and end-users reduce the time and cost of document review. We look forward to working with the iCONECT team and their industry leading partners to bring the power of Content Analyst’s advanced analytics to the thousands of attorneys using iCONECT software.
Our thoughts: Content Analyst is looking more like an original equipment manufacturer, providing technology as PLS did more than a decade ago. Nothing wrong with that approach.
Stephen E Arnold, August 10, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Is Microsoft Implementing a Haphazard Search Strategy?
August 10, 2011
Nothing fires up Microsoft centric service firms like criticism of Microsoft Fast technology. We’re pleasantly surprised by this enthusiasm, which is generally lacking when we mention other vendors’ “search challenges.”
We think choice is a good thing, until it gets overwhelming. Redmondmag.com works on “Sorting Out Microsoft’s Mixed-Up Enterprise Search Strategy.” Writer Paul Korzeniowski posits that Microsoft’s array of six search alternatives is just too disjointed:
The various search alternatives vary in capabilities, sophistication and price, so there should be something for just about every enterprise. However, the Microsoft strategy can leave customers bewildered. The various products are largely autonomous, so it may not be easy to move from one to another. In addition, there are conflicting reports about which of the search engines Microsoft considers strategic, so there’s a possibility that companies may standardize on solutions that will eventually lose their luster and maybe even be phased out.
Korzeniowski emphasizes that Microsoft is not the only purveyor of enterprise search solutions to suffer from an incoherent strategy. The article analyses the problem in depth, including words on security, pricing, and the fate of Fast Search. We suggest reading it through.
We agree that the “experts” are a bit out of touch with the challenges Fast Search presents. We recommend you buttress your reading of the Redmondmag article with the corresponding chapter in the Landscape report, published by Pandia.com, in which Stephen Arnold digs into parts of Fast that most so-called experts ignore, don’t know, or simply find too darned confusing to figure out. One thing is certain. Our leader, Stephen E Arnold, will be delighted to have his views of azure chip consultants confirmed.
Cynthia Murrell August 10, 2011
Of course, this write up is sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
XT Modules Compliment Attivio AIE Platform
August 10, 2011
ITBriefing.net tells us, “Attivio Announces XT Modules to Complete the Big Data Picture.” We think Attivio is an interesting company, and these offerings underscore their unique approach.
The company believes businesses must go beyond data aggregation to sophisticated contextual analysis. The new modules augment Attivio’s Active Intelligence Engine (AIE) platform. The article quotes Donald Fienberg, vice president and analyst at a consulting firm opined:
IT leaders must not focus on the obvious issue of volume alone, but equally consider the other elements of velocity, variety and complexity, which Gartner refers to as the broader category of Extreme Information, as well as the key area of access enablement. If they do focus too narrowly, their enterprises will have to make massive reinvestments within a couple of years to address the other dimensions of big data.
The XT Modules aim to help clients to avoid that reinvestment problem by doing it right the first time. The modules include: the AIE Recommendation Engine, which identifies relationships that can be leveraged to increase online buying; the AIE Classification Engine, which automatically categorizes documents; the Cloudera Connectors Package; Individual Hive, HDFS and Hbase Connectors; and the XT Services & Assessment Pack.
Provided they function as promised, these tools should provide a leg up to Attivio’s clients.
Cynthia Murrell August 10, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Google vs. Facebook: Peewee League or World Cup of Social
August 10, 2011
Search vs. Social Media. Google vs. Facebook. The two sides seem to be locked in what some pundits and “real” experts see as an epic battle for ultimate Internet supremacy. Slow news day? Brilliant insight?
Both sides have significantly changed the online landscape. With Google’s new Google + social network, the two are now fighting over essentially the same territory, and ultimately the same advertising revenue. The Guardian reports in, “Google and Facebook Get Personal in Battle for Social Networking Rewards.” We learned:
Ultimately the real battle is over cold, hard cash. Google made 97% of its revenues, or $32.3bn, in the past 12 months from advertising. eMarketer, meanwhile estimates that Facebook’s largely ad-generated revenues will grow from $0.74bn in 2009 to $5.74bn in 2012 – yet the site has hardly begun rolling out truly personalized, targeted advertising. If there is any of Google’s lunch to be eaten, it is here.
Google has admitted to being behind the curve in the social media game. Facebook is deeply entrenched and has momentum on its side. Google maintains that at its heart it is still a search company, but Google + can add another level to the personalization and identity of the searcher. They are not trying to recreate exactly what Facebook has done, and that’s exactly the problem.
World Cup?
We noted this passage:
Though Google+ is an intelligent attempt at a social networking tool, it seems a typical Google product in that it is brilliantly, heavily engineered but lacks the human focus required for a social network – the fuel that has propelled Facebook to 750 million users.
Protected: Yammer and SharePoint: Collaboration Insight
August 10, 2011
SharePoint: On Premises and in the Cloud
August 9, 2011
We learned some exciting news in the Microsoft SharePoint Team Blog. On July 26, 2011, Microsoft unveiled a new video learning series in “SharePoint Online Learning Materials for IT Professionals.” The focus of the information is particularly useful because the information embraces both on premises SharePoint installations and cloud deployments.
Microsoft offers a comprehensive video learning series on these subjects:
- An introduction to the five part series
- A review of the most common scenarios for on premises and cloud implementations
- A discussion of user considerations in a dual deployment set up
- A summary of the support options available to developers and licensees
- A conclusion which hits some of the highlights of previous four videos.
Microsoft has also include a narrated presentation, “Exploring SharePoint Online for IT Professionals,” which is ideal for getting up to speed when waiting for a meeting to begin or standing online at the airport.
To cap the information, Microsoft has made available a new white paper, “Microsoft SharePoint Online: An Overview for Enterprise IT Professionals.” The document is 16 pages long and covers development considerations, online administration, tips for managing sites and users, how to information about user identifies, and an excellent discussion of security for groups. The white paper also includes a group of links to relevant information, including Office 365 information.
The new administrative console is the starting point for managing sites and pages.
At Search Technologies we pride ourselves of keeping up to date on Microsoft’s SharePoint technology. We do a significant amount of work in the SharePoint search arena, especially with the Fast Search option. We find that high quality information about SharePoint an essential ingredient in the recipe for success. For more information about our professional services, visit our Web site at www.searchtechnologies.com.
Iain Fletcher, August 9, 2011
Is Thomson Reuters Chasing after LegalZoom?
August 9, 2011
Here’s another “me too!” development. Taume reports, “Thomson Reuters Launches Westlaw Form Builder.” LegalZoom offers a client the forms required to create a limited liability corporation for less than $100. A lawyer may charge quite a bit more.
Completing an unending stream of forms is a time-consuming aspect of any legal office, and Thomson Reuters hopes their online tool will spell efficiency for its clients. The press release explains what the company hopes will distinguish its product from the competition:
Attorneys can access more than 20,000 official and lawyer-tested forms anytime and anywhere they have an Internet connection. Westlaw editors continually update the forms to ensure they are current, eliminating the need to download upgrades or verify citations. Unlike static forms, Westlaw Form Builder allows users to customize forms, making them specific to a given client and case. And every Westlaw Form Builder plan includes links to any cited authority or commentary on WestlawNext without incurring additional charges, helping users understand the legal context surrounding a particular form.
Completed forms are downloadable, and client data is stored, saving time on re-entry.
Thompson Reuters provides information management tools to clients around the globe in fields from financial and legal to science and health care. And, of course, the company is a respected source of world news coverage. But Thomson is targeting attorneys who are increasingly cost sensitive. Maybe attorneys are using LegalZoom too? The search system works. Oh, LegalZoom looks like a pretty good bargain. Buying legal information from an outfit like Thomson Reuters? Well, it can be more expensive in my experience.
Cynthia Murrell August 9, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Natural Language Processing Not Suited for Web Searches
August 9, 2011
There’s a new cowboy in town and he’s shaking up the search engine industry. The article, Real Language Q&A: The Next Generation of Search?, on Search Engine Journal, explores the practicality of Oren Etzioni’s recommendations for search engines in his new paper, titled, Search Needs a Shake Up, published in Nature.
According to Etzioni, current search engines have not kept up with the time. The reliance they have on old algorithms with results displayed as a list that can run into the millions is no longer practical. As the article explains,
“In Etzioni’s view, the next generation of search would abandon the “blue link” structure in favor of directly answering the questions of users. “Moving up the information food chain requires a search engine that can interpret a user’s question, extract facts from all the information on the web, and select an appropriate answer,” he states. The tricky part, though, is in finding the answer. With so many ambiguities, it’s difficult to see how most questions could be answered by a search site.”
Conveniently, Etzioni offers his own University of Washington’s Reverb program as a step in the right direction. Reverb relies on Natural Language Processing (NLP) which is an interesting direction for search engines, but depends entirely on the reliability of the user’s question.
In a world of Etzioni’s search engine, the functionally illiterate would never receive an accurate search result because the search engine would never recognize, “who be prez bamas baby mama?”
While it would be a lovely world to live in if life was as well-spoken as Jeopardy and Watson could answer our every question quickly and precisely, that is not the case and never will be. NLP works well with voice searches and should stay there. Though Etzioni poses some interesting questions and points out the while elephant in the search engine room, the answer is not as simple as NLP. At least not yet.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 9, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
