Assumptions Which Apply to Search Start Ups
March 3, 2013
Over the years, I have worked with many small firms in the search, analytics, and content processing market. There have been some successes, near misses, and failures. My team would like to claim being the difference between success and failure, but we cannot. The winners were tough to identify as winners until they became winners. The losers and near misses just lurched from marketing flip to marketing flop without generating significant revenue.
I read “5 Bad Assumptions New Tech Entrepreneurs Tend to Make” and found it a useful way to spot some outfits which are likely to disappoint investors, customers, and themselves. You will have to read the original to get the full five items. One, in my opinion, warrants additional comment.
Mr. Corwin writes:
People aren’t using my product because it doesn’t have enough functionality.
No, people don’t use a product or service because it does not solve a problem at a reasonable price with available resources.
Most of the companies in the search, analytics, and content processing sector have a modest number of customers. Most organizations have findability problems. None of the solutions works particularly well. In my experience, most users cannot tell the difference when one system is swapped for another. The findability problem remains.
The vendor response is to trot out Mr. Corwin’s cogently stated assumption. When more functions are added, search and related systems just become more alike. When I hear a vendor explaining that a system does everything or that more features will break open the market, I head for the hills.
When you fall for that line of reasoning, make sure you keep your purse snapped and your wallet in your pocket.
Stephen E Arnold, March 3, 2013
Twittering High Praise For Funnelback
March 3, 2013
We have discussed Funnelback, the Australian enterprise and Web search software, before and noted it as a company making great strides in search. It looks like we are not the only ones noticing Funnelback’s quality products, because Ramsay Healthcare recently implemented it. If you visit @funnelback you will find this tweet:
“Check out @ramsayhealth new #search #engine. Type in “knees” in the search box to see #funnelback‘s awesome search. http://bit.ly/prNn0c “
Ramsay Health Care is a well known medical system in the UK and Australia. They added Funnelback to power its Web site search. Simply visiting the Web site and typing in ”knees” rich search results. Not only are you given search suggestions, but you are also offered Web pages and articles. Think of it as a Google search before it went paid link crazy or the less Wikipedia filled DuckDuckGo.
With the advent of EMRs, healthcare professionals are trying to make all types of information readily available for their clients. A Web site that acts a resource tool as well as an organization information source doubles its usefulness. Search becomes all the more important, because in order to be useful one needs to find information. Other Web sites in any field could benefit from a powerful search tool.
Whitney Grace, March 03, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Set Up A Competitive Intelligence Function In A Nonce
March 2, 2013
Intelligence can no longer be regulated to the CIA, FBI, or large business corporations, instead anyone can start a competitive intelligence department. It only takes a desire and technical knowledge, but how do you get started? Digimind wrote a simple how-to article called, “Top Tips: Setting Up A Market Or Competitive Intelligence Function.” There is an increasing need for organizations to implement a competitive intelligence plan, because of the competitive and globalized marketplace.
Digimind asked Suki Fuller, a Strategic Intelligence Advisor and also a Senior Analyst with DC Analytics, about what advice she would give to organizations just starting. She offers the usual implementation plan and know your field in and out. She does offer a new insight:
“Network – make friends with at least one key person in every division. Gain an understanding into their tasks and how this may impact the overall company strategy. Build these relationships so information can be gained straight from the source and doesn’t have to travel through as many layers of the internal channels.”
One would be surprised how lack of communication across division bungles information gathering. Making it clear what the advantages of competitive intelligence are and how everyone can contribute to it. Glad this stuff is pretty easy to do with regulations and staff turnover taking place.
Whitney Grace, March 02, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Short Honk: Google Has a New Management Expert: Its CFO
March 1, 2013
Navigate to “Google’s CFO Says Motorola’s Upcoming Products Aren’t ‘Wow’ by Google Standards.” I am okay with poobahs, failed webmasters, hot air entrepreneurs, and wizards pontificating about search and information retrieval. After all, as I have said numerous times, “Everyone perceives himself / herself as an expert in search.”
Here’s the statement, if true, I find reasonably useful in evaluating the management approach of today’s Google:
If you were hoping to see a revelatory smartphone from Motorola in the near future, you might want to tone down those expectations. Google’s Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President Patrick Pichette today said that products in Motorola’s pipeline are “not really to the standards that what Google would say is wow — innovative, transformative.” The surprisingly honest admission came during Pichette’s session at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference. When questioned on where things stand with Motorola at the moment, Pichette didn’t mince words. “We’ve inherited 18 months of pipeline that we actually have to drain right now, while we’re actually building the next wave of innovation and product lines,” he said.
I know I would be motivated if I were working at Motorola, a former client from my ABI/INFORM. Motorola was an expensive item. Is it like the HP Autonomy deal? I don’t know from nothing. But I do know that managing does not pivot on public criticism. Samsung probably finds the method quite reassuring. Is anyone in South Korea considering this question, “Why don’t we just scroogle the Google?” Amusing to ponder how making hardware can create Barnes & Noble-type excitement.
Stephen E Arnold, March 1, 2013
Dissing Facebook Search: The Cold Water Approach
March 1, 2013
I read “Facebook Gives Examples to Jumpstart Usage of Graph Search, Which It May Have Spent Too Long Building.” The main point is that Facebook fiddled and Rome burned. Now, Rome has to be rebuilt on property another empire owns.
Poor Facebook. The company muffed its IPO. Then Facebook cratered with Timeline. Now all those Xooglers have crafted a search which has to be “jumpstarted” like my first automobile, a 1955 Oldsmobile with no passenger side door.
Here’s the part of the analysis I found interesting:
Are any of those things you’d search for regularly, if ever? Maybe you’d take the occasional sweep through nostalgic content, look at recommendations for a vacation, or go hunting for new distractions. However, there’s little chance you’ll spend nearly as much time Graph Searching as browsing the daily refresh of status updates and photos from your close friends. That’s a little worrisome, especially since it follows a trend. In September 2011, Facebook’s big launch was Timeline. Beautiful, sure. But how often do you dive years back into your profile, or those of friends? Facebook poured tons of resources into the ability to call up historic content. For what? When I visit most people’s profiles, I look at their recent photos, last few posts, and About section. All of these were handled just fine by the old version of the profile. Adding cover images may have been sufficient.
Yep, worrisome for a free service in beta too. And who is pronouncing Facebook search a dead Oldsmobile?
My thoughts:
- Facebook cannot emulate Google’s brute force search. Google is eating some hefty costs, and Facebook wants to avoid a 1996 style financial black hole.
- Facebook knows ads and search are hooked. The Xooglers have explained why head to head ad fights with Google is not such a good idea. Therefore, the Facebook folks are looking for an angle. Notice I did not say, “Found.”
- Facebook has a thinner tightrope to walk than Google. Facebook can do many things with its content and metadata. Figuring out what combination will yield the most money and the fewest hassles will take time.
Skip the criticism. Track the deltas. Facebook may fail. So what? The journey is a free education for those not innovating.
Stephen E Arnold, February 28, 2013
Liferay Marketplace Approves New Offering
March 1, 2013
Liferay Marketplace is becoming a go-to resource for enterprise open source solutions. One of the latest additions is the XTIVIA Carousel Portlet. The full release is available through Sys-Con in their article, “XTIVIA Carousel Portlet Now Available on Liferay Marketplace.”
The press release says:
“XTIVIA, Inc. a Liferay Platinum Partner, and the 2012 Liferay North America Partner of the Year announced today that the XTIVIA Carousel Portlet has been approved by Liferay and is now freely available for download on the Liferay Marketplace. The Carousel Portlet is an easy to use solution that provides a continuous, circular navigation of a collection of images or divs. The Carousel Portlet configuration allows for the sizing pixels to match image sizes and allows for pause intervals between images.”
XTIVIA has been working with Liferay since 2006 and has been in the enterprise market since 1992. A trusted name means a lot in enterprise search. LucidWorks is another company that has a meaningful reputation, particularly in search. Their open source solutions are built on Lucene and Solr and tackle enterprise search as well as Big Data.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 1, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Get An Oracle Education
March 1, 2013
Oracle developers will be glad to know that there are a lot of educational opportunities in 2013. Eon: Enhances Online News posted, “Oracle Applications Users Group Announces Educational Series 2013.” The Oracle Applications Users Group is the world’s largest database on Oracle Applications generated by users. The group is launching two virtual e-learning series: “Oracle EBS A to Z: A Deep Dive Educational Series,” Feb. 18-22, and the “Best of OAUG Connection Point® – EPM/BI,” Feb. 25-March 1.
The Best of OAUG Connection Point focuses on content discusses at the 2012 ORAUG conference, including: Oracle Analytic Applications, Oracle BI, and Endeca. If you would prefer something newer and about Oracle E-Business Suite, the Oracle EBS A to Z has what you need:
“OAUG members are invited to ask questions and discuss their concerns directly with Oracle developers and executives during this five-day interactive series. Each day highlights new topics, including Oracle Projects, Oracle E-Business Suite Human Capital Management, Oracle E-Business Suite Technology Certification Primer and Roadmap, Oracle E-Business Suite integration best practices, Oracle E-Business Suite Extensions for Oracle Endeca Information Discovery, Oracle E-Business Suite maintenance, Oracle Advanced Procurement and security.”
Take note that OAUG is incorporating Endeca into these two series. The main goal of the 2013 OAUG Educational series is to help developers locate information and support on issues they will handle on a daily basis. Endeca, as one of Oracle’s newest acquisitions, is one of those.
Whitney Grace, March 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Hong Kong Wants To Know
March 1, 2013
Hong Kong wants to improve government agencies with new technology and business initiatives for its citizens’ needs, says “Hong Kong Government Chooses SAS(R) Data Visualization To Improve Citizen Services” via Market Watch. As the headline states, the Hong Kong government selected SAS(R) Visual Analytics as the means for improvement. The Hong Kong Efficiency Unit heads the project and it will examine citizen complaint data using the SAS software. The hope is to find new insights and solutions based off the data. Some of SAS’s selling features are the ability to view data across multiple platforms and visual representations.
“’This is new for the Efficiency Unit: deploying transformative software from SAS to help us transform government services to better serve our citizens,’ said Wai-Fung Yuk, Assistant Director, Hong Kong Efficiency Unit. ‘SAS software will allow us to examine large amounts of complaint data and rapidly draw insights to make informed decisions. No matter how much data is involved, time to insight is crucial.’”
The Hong Kong Efficiency Unit probably chose SAS, because it is the largest independent BI vendor. SAS Visual Analytics has carved out a niche in the IT market not just for its data visualization, but also for the analytical correlations that it finds in seconds. Hong Kong has joined SAS in obtaining “the power to know.”
Whitney Grace, March 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Connotate Adds More Team Players
March 1, 2013
One field that weathered the economic downturn and is currently exploding is IT. Connotate, a leader in data monitoring and extraction solutions, wants to be a few steps ahead of the predicted growth for 2013. So-Co-It explains how in the story, “Connotate Expands Senior Management Team.” The new Connotate team members are Frank Hunt, CFO; Jeff Sacks, CMO and Bogdan Sabac, VP of engineering. The new additions are expected to guide the company in a new direction:
“’In preparation for accelerated growth in 2013, we recruited top executive talent to help the company scale, to clearly communicate with customers and to continue to build relationships with financial partners who want to be part of our expansion,’ said Keith Cooper, CEO of Connotate. ‘Frank, Jeff and Bogdan are experts in their field as well as experienced and aggressive entrepreneurs in their own right. They have already started helping us prepare for an exciting year ahead.’”
As the new VP of engineering, Sabac will take the lead developing new data collection projects and monitoring solutions. Jeff Sacks is a well-regarded online marketer with health content, financial services, and consumer packaged goods experience. His plan is to expand and change Connotate’s marketing strategy at all levels. Hunt as the new CFO will be responsible for all financial-related activities.
Connotate is gearing up for some big changes and it is good to know how. They are yet another company to follow.
Whitney Grace, March 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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