The Real Health Care Shift: Unstructured Data and Search
December 30, 2011
As social media has exploded in popularity over the past few years it is no surprise that companies everywhere are chomping at the bit to get their hands on all the data buried deep within its confines. New data search capabilities now allows for intelligent analysis of social media comments. The article, Healthline and Wolfram Alpha Expand Health and Treatment Research Tools, on Search Engine Watch, explains how two healthcare companies have incorporated social media data into their websites and transformed health research.
The first company is Healthline and according to the article,
The expansive database is available at launch thanks to Treato, a First Life Research company that compiles feedback on drug side effects. The Treato website was launched in September of this year, and (according to a First Life Research statement) ‘analyzes patient discussions about drugs and medical conditions on blogs and forums, aggregating them into a single, clear and highly accessible knowledge base.’
Right in line with Healthline’s advances in healthcare search is Wolfram Alpha who has integrated data from social media to compile a database available to consumers with information on the different treatments for medical conditions. By combining data from physical and virtual information sources they are able to provide patients with the most accurate data possible.
These are just two examples of how unstructured data is becoming accessible to companies and through intelligent analysis is providing plenty of opportunities for expansion of services. With the amount of data currently left untouched by most search it is only a matter of time until this untapped source of information explodes into popular enterprise search practices.
Catherine Lamsfuss, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Herding Cats or Losing Them: Google and the Android Crowd
December 30, 2011
Forget Google’s Android patent problems. How about this alleged issue? Business Insider reported on new Droid dilemmas in the article “For Google, Fixing Android is Like Herding Cats.”
Apparently, a deal that was made between Google and seven cell phone companies last May, to release new versions of Android to all phones that are less than 18 months old, has turned sour. Sony Ericsson is the only company that has said it will live up to the agreement.
The article states:
This is a problem for users — they’re not always getting the latest experience that Google has created, and they can’t always use the latest apps. It’s a huge problem for developers — if they target only the most recent software, they don’t know how many customers they’ll be able to reach, and on what timeline.
It appears that unless Google gets more leverage, like the Motorola deal for instance, the search giant can not force these companies to honor their original agreement without contractual obligations.
Jasmine Ashton, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Doejo: Approach Content Creation Like Product Development
December 30, 2011
Doejo would have companies “Create Content Like You Create Products.” Does this mean like Chinese wall board and dog food, Wall Street’s financial products, or stuff like the iPad? Many different products with many different degrees of excellence, right? What about products like this one?
No, avoid that level of carelessness in any endeavor. For the purposes of the Doejo article, though, it’s more of a self-reference. Writer Ziad urges companies to put the same care they put into creating their own products, whatever they might be, into creating their Web content. The write up explains:
Startups treasure their products and put a huge amount of effort and passion into creating them. However, many startup blogs and communities don’t have the kind of craftsmanship that their products do. Your company does not need to blog ten times a day to have an impact. Focus on creating content that is not merely related to the press release of the day.
The article picks a few traditional product-development steps and illustrates how they apply to content. For example, under “Pick a market,” it urges businesses to target content toward the mindset of its products’ potential buyers. Under “Narrow down and execute,” it advises companies to keep it simple. See the write up for more specifics; they are things worthy to keep in mind.
Cynthia Murrell, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Quote to Note: Google and Its Modest Understatement
December 29, 2011
Short honk: I am tuckered out. Big day in Harrod’s Creek, but I took time to read “Tom Anderson”. Sorry, no title it is a blog post, err, a Google Plus post. Here’s the quote I noted:
It’s not that Google+ has decided to do things differently, it’s just that they’re ahead of the game and doing things better.
Impressively modest. MySpace is a cesspool, and Singapore is a fine place. Oh, yeah. Pharma ad free, no improper pix, and harsh punishment for spitting gum.
Stephen E Arnold, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Green Technologies Impact PLM
December 29, 2011
Automobile manufacturers are working hard to integrate green technologies into their designs and engineering. Electric cars will soon be a reality and as Joe Berkai explains in “Auto Industry Change: Sustainability & PLM” “knowing the risks and opportunities across every aspect of the business and across the lifecycle of every product is crucial.”
The future of the auto industry is every changing and now with green technologies:
“[i]t’s essentially guaranteed that automakers are going to have to redesign their products over and over again in response to changing customer expectations, regulators, and the available infrastructure.”
Product lifecycle management (PLM) will be crucial to companies “to evaluate vehicle platforms and pick the optimal design.” Their sustainability will rely upon superior PLM.
It is not just the auto industry that is feeling the impact of green technologies. Most manufacturing companies are looking for more environmentally sound ways to produce their products and with that is a need for PLM. Companies like Inforbix, will enhance your PLM by addressing the findability issues. Finding the necessary data will become easy, effective and affordable. Any manufacturing company of any size could benefit from Inforbix’s solutions which is great for your green bottom line.
Jennifer Wensink, December 29, 2011
Learn from a Cloud Fail with Office 365
December 29, 2011
The Clever Workarounds blog, run by Paul Culmsee of Seven Sigma Business Solutions, discusses mainly SharePoint issues with specific reference to strategy, governance, and return on investment issues. A recent post, “The Cloud isn’t the Problem – Part 2: When Complex Technology Meets Process,” follows an article asserting the need that for adaptive change with Cloud computing. In the current post, these adaptive changes and challenges are discussed.
The author begins with an Office 365 fail story that all can learn from. Lesson learned? Even a typo can take out a large system. From the typo in the Microsoft Online Services Company Identifier came a chain of events that could have resulted in a production E3 service being mistakenly deleted. While no one person or platform is to blame, it shows a flaw in the system. The author reflects:
Now I hope that I don’t sound bitter and twisted from this experience. In fact, the experience reinforced what most in IT strategy already know. It’s not about the technology. I still like what Office 365 offers and I will continue to use and recommend it under the right circumstances. This experience was simply a sobering reality check though that all of the cool features amounts to naught when it can be undone by dodgy underlying supporting structures. I hope that Microsoft and Telstra read this and learn from it too. From a customer perspective, having to work through Telstra as a proxy for Microsoft feels like additional layers of defense on behalf of Microsoft. Is all of this duplication really necessary?
For a stable and reliable system that still provides the benefits of complex technology, consider a third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Their Web Parts based information pairing capabilities leave you with powerful searches and a complete picture of your business information. Here Daniel Fallman discusses the technology, “To put it concrete terms, the current Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite release enable a maintenance-free, always up-to-date conflation of information from different areas. Always relevant. Always interesting. Always to the point. For both you and your website’s users.” Consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze’s full suite of products to find a solution for your system.
Philip West, December 29, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: The Best Post-X-Mas SharePoint Gift
December 29, 2011
Google Goes Native
December 29, 2011
As if the company was not trying hard enough to integrate themselves into every aspect of internet and software, Google is now being compared to the sun?
I was a bit baffled when I ran across the headline of a recent article on Infoworld, titled “Google As the New Sun: Case in Point, Native Client.” Apparently, with the fall of Sun Microsystems, the company responsible for Java and Network File System, Google has taken the lead in the software industry. Examples of this are listed in the article: Google Web Toolkit, Dart Programming, and Native Client, which runs inside of the Chrome browser and is specifically discussed further in the Infoworld article. We learn:
Google wants Native Client to be equal to JavaScript while enabling developers to instead use languages like C, C++, and, thanks to the Mono runtime, C# and other .Net languages to build with Native Client. But Native Client is limited to the Chrome browser and is geared to desktop for the foreseeable future. Google is eager to get Native Client supported on other browsers, Chen says: “It’s open source, and [other browser vendors] can use it anytime they want to.’
However, we have our doubts. With a technology that is being compared to the likes of Sun Microsystems, we should expect more. Native Client has a limited reach and a questionable level of security. Support for Native Client on mobile platforms is not even being discussed at this time. The application does not have much support in the industry – Apple and Microsoft have nothing to say on the topic and Mozilla has given a negative response. Our stance? Google has much work to do before we will let the technology be “the sun.”
Andrea Hayden, December 29, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Outbrain Nets Index Ventures
December 29, 2011
Now that is funding. Taume announces, “Outbrain Raises $35 Million USD in Series D Funding; Led by Index Ventures.” With this funding, Outbrain’s total financing is at $64 million. As a result, the company expects to push into additional markets. The press release asserts,
As Outbrain extends its presence in both the online video and mobile web markets, the funding allows the company to accelerate its product line while further investing in business development and global expansion.
Furthermore, Outbrain is adding Index Ventures partner Donimique Vidal to its board. With offices around the world, Index Ventures has been pouring its investment dollars into technology, biotech, and clean tech projects since 1996.
Outbrain’s content discovery platform positions itself as a boon to online media, helping publishers with recommendations to users. The company, founded in 2006, bought content recommendation platform Surphace from AOL in February, 2011.
Our take? Though the company has seen some success, this funding will not make “Out” the hot new prefix. Outdone, outsell, out of luck, outside, and other uses of the prefix are all good.
Cynthia Murrell, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
SLI Systems Relieves Search Pain at Make Me Heal
December 29, 2011
Since implementing a Facebook search application, retailer Make Me Heal saw its traffic leap ahead. Market Watch reveals the company has found a solution in “Make Me Heal Looks to SLI Systems to Create a Seamless Search Experience Across Multiple Channels.” We learned from the write up:
By working closely with SLI, whose knowledgeable staff handle most aspects of search implementation and ongoing management, Make Me Heal offers a consistent search experience across its website, mobile site, and Facebook application, with matching look and feel of its search box, refinement options, and other features like auto-complete. The search box is placed prominently at the top of all search screens, making it easier for visitors to quickly begin searching from any entry point into the Make Me Heal online catalogue.
Visitors turn to Make Me Heal to find information and products relating to cosmetic surgery, anti-aging, and a range of medical conditions. SLI’s Learning Search makes that research easier.
SLI Systems provides full-service, customized, cloud-based solutions for site-search, navigation, merchandising, and search engine optimization. Its technology studies user behavior over time to deliver more relevant results.
Cynthia Murrell, December 29, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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