Building Community and Improving Search
April 9, 2012
Christian Buckley at AIIM maintains that improving search is not just about improving the methods and the systems, but about improving the community. He lays out his argument in, “Stop Complaining and Improve Your Search.”
As with any successful online or offline community, the SharePoint community continues to grow and evolve as the collective unconscious of its members grows and evolves. As new ideas and community members join, they add to the dialog and to the content of the community. In some cases, old ideas are purged, but in most cases they simply add to the perspectives and content already out there. This makes finding content and identifying expertise more difficult. The wrong thing is to say ‘we need to reduce the amount of content’ or ‘there are too many opinions here.’ Limit the sample size of your query, and you limit the quality of the results you will find.
A strong community does strengthen enterprise search solutions and options. In fact, we would argue that the third-party solutions surrounding SharePoint have done more to improve SharePoint itself than perhaps any other factor. Many of these add-ons can also stand alone, and all seek to increase the efficiency of the search and improve the user experience.
One that we particularly like is Fabasoft Mindbreeze, with its suite of complimentary and smart search solutions. Mindbreeze has built quite a community around its products as well, with numerous customers trading ideas and success stories. Additionally, Fabasoft Mindbreeze offers support through tutorials, wikis, phone assistance, and one-on-one training sessions. You can use these tools to create your own local Mindbreeze community, increasing the effectiveness of this intuitive solution.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Perfect PLM Products
April 9, 2012
To offer viable data management solutions that appeal to a variety of today’s increasingly complex, diverse, and globalized companies, product lifecycle management (PLM) products must provide high levels of scalability and customization without compromising their immediate utility and basic affordability to their users.
In their posting entitled “Objects, Attributes/Properties and User-Defined Data Elements in Aras” that appeared in the blog PLM Alpha, which provides technical information for PLM professionals, the authors explain why companies should refrain from actively seeking an “out-of-the-box” PLM solution and should instead devote effort to selecting a flexible and scalable product whose features can meet both the enterprise’s immediate and potential future PLM needs.
They emphasize that:
“The most important fact about your company’s data and process requirements is that everything is constantly changing. Today’s requirements will not be tomorrow’s requirements. As your company grows and responds to market opportunities and competitive pressures, the internal data and process requirements will change.”
Inforbix, with its nimble size and its customer-focused orientation, is perfectly positioned to meet this mandate and offer its clients a user-friendly, secure, cloud-based, and affordable PLM solution that will seamlessly adapt to their needs as their products and competitive landscapes change.
Tonya Weikel, April 6, 2012
Google: Listen Up. The IPO Harmed You
April 8, 2012
I love inputs from the bleachers. Well, anyone who is anyone knows that Google’s going public in 2004 was the fatal step, the digital equivalent of Adam’s going for the apple. Point your browser thing at “How The IPO Ruined Google.” The idea is that Google has lost its original focus. The company is chasing the social media sector which means Facebook. The author points out some social media goofs by the GOOG. He writes:
How’d Orkut do? Do you remember it? Didn’t think so. Sidewiki? Failed. Friend Connect? Gone. Google Wave didn’t even get past testing. Now we’ve got Google Plus, which is showing some of the worst engagement numbers of any major social media site.
Google, now under the management whiz Larry Page is focusing, or I think that is what he said in his Update memorandum that big bets are needed. So focus is there, right?
Several observations:
First, I think that advice to big companies is a tricky business. Most big companies find outsiders’ inputs more like background information than course corrections.
Second, Google is going to be a tough outfit to change even when one is the CEO. The start up mentality has been smothered under the hard facts that Apple’s business model is performing better than Google’s business model. Facebook chugs along, apparently untroubled by Googzilla’s desire to feast on the haunches of prime zuck. Google has managed to build a one-trick pony but increasingly has to find inspiration for new ideas elsewhere.
Third, Google is not about search. I remember reading that social is the new Google. So search is a subset of social.
Google is, what, 12, 13 years old. If I consider Backrub, Google is 14, maybe 15 years old. Like Lycos and Yahoo, Internet companies face a number of challenges. Chief among them is management. Technology is important, but making the right decision at the right time is part of the magic.
Perhaps the pundits who make suggestions about what Google should may find magic more useful than inputs?
Stephen E Arnold, April 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
We Are Not Surprised: AdWords Work
April 8, 2012
Google Study Says it Pays to Use AdWords
SEO is one hot buzzword, but more and more people are starting to realize that, what they thought was a web traffic miracle, is really just a quick fix that fails to deliver lasting results. In the recent Search Engine Land article, “Google Research: Even With a #1 Organic Ranking, Paid Ads Provide 50% Incremental Clicks,” one of the poobahs of SEO points out that now that SEO does not work as advertised, if you have a Web site, you have to buy AdWords.
According to the report, Google’s research on paid versus organic found that cutting out paid ads would result in an 89 percent drop in clicks, regardless of whether or not your site is the number one search result.
The article asserts:
“Surprisingly, even when advertisers show up in the number one organic search result position, 50% of clicks they get on ads are not replaced by clicks on organic search results when the ads don’t appear. The study found that 82% of ad clicks are incremental when the associated organic result is ranked between 2 and 4, and 96% of clicks are incremental when the brand’s organic result was 5 or below.”
Gee, what a surprise that Google finds that paying them boosts search rankings. Now search engine optimization experts have an opportunity to explain how their services have helped their clients again.
Jasmine Ashton, April 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
More Real Journalist Antics: A News Corp. Innovation?
April 8, 2012
Here’s more about the work methods of “real” journalists from the alleged “real” news. BBC News declares, “News Corporation firm NDS Accused of ITV Digital Hack.” BBC Panorama is accusing rival NDS of misconduct back at the turn of this century which resulted in the downfall of ITV Digital.
Panorama says NDS leaked the codes to smartcards that allowed users pirate ITV Digital’s services through a Web site called Thoic, putting the paid-TV broadcaster out of business. Thoic’s Lee Gibling charges that NDS paid him to publish the information for that very purpose. NDS internal documents seem to support the claim, according to the article.
NDS, of course, insists it did no such thing; in fact, they were actually working to *stop* piracy. The NDS response asserts:
“Like most companies in the conditional access industry – and many law enforcement agencies – NDS uses industry contacts to track and catch both hackers and pirates. This is neither illegal nor unethical. And, to ensure that all activity remains completely within legal bounds, NDS staff and their contacts operate under a clear code of conduct for operating undercover.
“These allegations were the subject of a long-running court case in the United States. This concluded with NDS being totally vindicated and its accuser having to pay almost $19m in costs.”
So, who is telling the truth? Unfortunately for NDS, its parent company News Corporation is currently suffering from a lack of credibility after last year’s phone hacking scandal. I imagine we will be hearing more about this issue as it unfolds. This online and technology approach to information is fascinating.
Cynthia Murrell, April 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Fiddled Web Pages: A New Idea?
April 8, 2012
“Hotel’s Free Wi-Fi Comes With Hidden Extras” discloses a journalist’s surprise at fiddled Web pages. Here’s the passage I noted:
Mr. Watt had strong feelings about it himself. He said in an interview that he had never seen an Internet provider modifying Web pages that a person visits. “Imagine the U.S.P.S., or FedEx, for that matter, opening your Amazon boxes and injecting ads into the packages,” Mr. Watt said.
Is this Google patent document germane? US20050096979, “System and Method for Enabling an Advertisement to Follow the User to Additional Web Pages”.
Here at the goose pond we have come across this idea before.
Stephen E Arnold, April 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Is ZyLAB Warning the European Union?
April 7, 2012
I know search and content processing are important. I wonder, however, if the companies in this sector believe that with a long lever, they can move governmental entities. I thought campaign contributions were required.
ZyLAB’s Press Room informs us, “’EU Reform of Data Protection Rules Complicate Cross Border Litigation’, Warns ZyLAB.” We wonder: how may EU entities are attentive to warnings? Maybe the financial crisis in Spain, oil, and unemployment are on the radar too? Anything’s possible.
At issue here are existing or proposed rules that ZyLAB warns will affect any company with US business connections, such as the proposed reform of data protection rules by the European Commission last January and the new Sedona Conference International Principles on Discovery, Disclosure & Data Protection published last December. The write up asserts:
“In an international business environment organizations can become involved in complex, high-stake regulatory investigations that cross international boundaries. When that happens, it is not easy to grasp the full spectrum of international litigation issues to resolve cross-border disputes. ‘Firm control over all of your data and having machine assisted monitoring and audit procedures incorporated in your compliance strategy, will be essential in helping an organization to deal with the contradictory requirements of eDiscovery versus privacy law and data protection rules,’ says Johannes C. Scholtes, chairman and chief strategy officer of ZyLAB.”
The company offers a series of webinars and roundtables that address these issues, the first of which is titled, “Cross-Border Litigation: Preparing for the Unknown.” See the write up for more details.
EU, listen up!
Cynthia Murrell, April 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Iowa Government Gets a Digital Dictionary Provided By Access
April 7, 2012
How did we get by without the invention of the quick search to look up information? We used to use dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a place called the library. Access Innovations, Inc. has brought the Iowa Legislature General Assembly into the twenty-first century.
The write-up “Access Innovations, Inc. Creates Taxonomy for Iowa Code, Administrative Code and Acts” tells us the data management industry leader has built a thesaurus that allows the Legislature to search its library of proposed laws, bills, acts, and regulations. Users can also add their unstructured data to the thesaurus. Access used their Data Harmony software to provide subscription-based delivery and they built the thesaurus on MAIstro.
“The project differed from typical index and thesaurus creation because the Iowa Legislative Services Agency needed to maintain its existing codes from each back-of-the-book index, rather than starting from scratch and creating new codes. One reference alone, the Blue Index, included 2,300 index terms. To create the thesaurus, Access looked at different methods to apply to each term according to the existing references, tied preferred terms to the existing codes, and added related terms to the preferred terms. The codes covered previous legislation dating as far back as 1953 to legislation through 2010. Also, the custom taxonomy was built with only four levels in order to meet Iowa Legislative Services’ navigation requirements. Typically, thesauri are not limited by a specified number of levels.”
The new legal thesaurus makes it much easier to find new laws and their changes instead of having to browse through pages of book. Access Innovations hopes their project for the Iowa Legislature General Assembly will encourage other government bodies to turn their libraries over to them for indexing. Not only would that make it easier for politicians and their staff to conduct research, maybe it could improve the political situation in the US. Making part of a job easier tends to make people happy.
Whitney Grace, April 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
MarkLogic Adds Big Data to Its Line Up
April 7, 2012
MarkLogic Corporation has specialized in XML databases for years, but now they have turned their attention to Big Data. Marketwatch.com reports in, “Big Data Takes Center Stage at MarkLogic World 2012” that on May 1-3, 2012 in the Ronald Regan Building in our nation’s capital, Big Data leaders and MarkLogic experts will be gathered in one place. The conference presents an excellent opportunity to meet and network with the experts, but it is also a chance to learn about industry trends, new ideas, and tips/techniques. We noted:
MarkLogic World 2012 will be keynoted by retired Adm. Mike Mullen, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011. Mullen will discuss “The Intersection of National Security and the Global Economy.” In his keynote, Mullen will talk about the challenges he faced while serving as the top military adviser to the president and the secretary of defense through two administrations. Mullen will also discuss the challenges facing America, looking at economic growth, infrastructure, education, and foreign and military policy.
Other nig names are three leading research analysts: Matt Aslett, research manager, 451 Research; Mark Beyer, research vice president, Gartner; and Noel Yuhanna, principal analyst, Forrester, who will give a rundown on major trends in Big Data at their panel. An award ceremony will also be held to honor leaders and innovators in the field. Conferences are always the best tools, outside of LinkedIn and other professional social networking web sites, to connect with potential collaborators and get ideas for future projects. However, these conferences surprised us—is it a marketing or technological reconfiguration of our favorite XQuery system with proprietary extensions?
The defense flavor is interesting. With the US budget gripping the scissors for some defense spending, is MarkLogic aware of a funding windfall in this sector? With the harsh actions taken toward inappropriate General Services Administration spending, the US government market may face as much turmoil as commercial sectors like book, magazine, and newspaper funding.
Is the notion of big data the next golden goose. The farm yard is getting crowded. The number of azure chip consultants on the program is interesting as well. With MarkLogic a leader in XML, enterprise search, and big data, the company seems to be poised to grow rapidly. We’re looking for hard data about gross sales, margins, and market share in the company’s core markets.
Whitney Grace, April 4, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
What Amazon Taught Mobile Phone Outfits
April 7, 2012
The Technology Review article “Android Device Makers Are Mutinying, Says Insider” struck me as a trifle sensational. I have been getting more comfortable with Googlized headlines in the New York Times, but Technology Review. The story’s main point, in my opinion, was old news to us here in rural Kentucky. We wrote an analysis of the impact of the Amazon use of Android in the Kindle Fire in November 2011. The revelation that Android device makers were getting frisky was a foregone conclusion after Amazon took an older version of Android which was open source and did its Amazon thing. We thought the creation of an Amazon Kindle app store would clue in the savvy observers that Google was being out maneuvered.
Here’s the passage we noted in the Technology Review write up:
Morgan [top dog] says his company [Skyhook Wireless] is going to be part of a “major” new phone device that will be released at the end of this year. It will be based on Android, but not controlled by Google. “They [Google] really do restrict anything a device maker can do to stand out, for their own purposes,” says Morgan. “It’s very unappealing to a device maker. They don’t want to be just a commodity hardware maker because they’ll all lose out to cheaper players in China. Everyone’s emboldened by the success of Amazon. Everyone’s saying ‘we need to go our own way.'” Paradoxically, this trend is positive for Android, just not Google’s control over it.
I am okay with Amazon’s approach. Skyhook is fine too. But the real action will be the manufacturers of mobile gizmos in the Middle Kingdom and neighboring countries. An open source operating system emulating the Amazon approach means opportunity without royalties. Will your Android app run on one of these quasi-Android devices? I think the flower pot of Android will spout many different blooms.
Stephen E Arnold, April 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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