Google Alerts Alleged to Be Broken
March 21, 2013
“An Open Letter to Google: Google Alerts Broken, Now Useless to Financial Marketers” is one of those “you can’t do this to us” complaints about the new Google’s policies. An alert is a variant of the SDI or “selective dissemination of information.”
In the good old days of search when command lines were like female mixed martial arts fighters, a user would specify a string. The Dialog or Lexis system would spit out citations each time a new tape was loaded into the system. To get SDIs was a real help to a researcher who tracked a particular topic like “nuclear fuel pool” or “ESOP or employee stock ownership plan”. The trick was that SDIs for the most part were something for which one paid.
Well, well, well. Now Google, according to the write up, is making some changes in “one of the simplest, most powerful tools on the Internet, Google Alerts.” A marketer makes the point that a company has been using Google Alerts for its own purposes; for instance, I learned:
The site maintains 50 Alerts for everything from “bank marketing” to “credit union Facebook promotion.” Hundreds upon hundreds of articles published on the site have been the direct result of leads that originated through Google Alerts. As much as 35% to 45% of the content shared on The Financial Brand’s website and social channels once stemmed from this service.
The write up concludes:
Google has lost touch with its core business model: search. Searching the internet is what Google
iswas known for, itiswas what Google (once) did better than everyone else. But Google has become distracted with “Shiny New Syndrome,” wasting tremendous amounts of time and energy (yours and ours) on ideas that fall way outside the search model. And yes, that does mean Google+. So get back to your roots, focus on search, and please: get Google Alerts back up and running. Because if Google isn’t good for search, what’s it good for at all?
The author has forgotten that today’s Google is a far different beastie from the happy go luck outfit which evolved from Backrub about 13, maybe 14 years ago. Today’s Google is focused on controlling costs, which are rising at Amazon like rates. Furthermore, the Google has to figure out how to make mobile ads pay like the salad days of Adwords on the desktop. Google has a different management approach which has less to do with controlled chaos and more about making money.
Are these options when it comes to surfing on Google’s various services which can, in case you haven’t noticed, can disappear without much warning? Sure. Are these options free like the good old days of 2002? Nope.
The big question for me is, “Does Google read open letters?” Better yet, “Does Google heed open letters from surfing marketers?” My hunch is, “Not too much.” Some Googlers love the NCAA basketball tournament. Perhaps between games and horse play someone at Google will act on the open letter. Odds on that happening are about what Louisville and its first opponent are encountering.
Stephen E Arnold, March 21, 2013
Cloud Service Orchestration Platforms Today
March 21, 2013
If there are two areas even the most fledgling enterprise developer should keep an eye on, they are open source and cloud service. If you combine the two, they converge into a supercharged cloud service orchestration (CSO) platform, and many users are turning that way for their enterprise needs. Sys-Con Media weighs in with their story, “Cloud and Open Source Draw Big Wagers.”
The article states:
“At this moment in time, the leading CSO platform is OpenStack. Dozens of vendors and cloud service providers (CSPs) have piled on this effort, from Rackspace to HP to Dell, and most recently, IBM has announced that they’re going all in as well. Fizzy to be sure, but all Coke, no Mentos. Then there are CloudStack, Eucalyptus, and a few other OpenStack competitors. With all the momentum of OpenStack, it might seem that these open source alternatives are little more than also-rans, doomed to drop further and further behind the burgeoning leader. But there’s more to this story.”
What’s more to the story is that the cloud has yet to be completed vetted and many customers are looking for safer solutions. One that comes to mind is a solution like LucidWorks Search, which can be launched on-site, in the cloud, or as a hybrid. For those who need to ease into the full cloud option, the hybrid functionality adds peace of mind. But for those who are ready to take the plunge, LucidWorks offers distributions through the trusted marketplaces of Microsoft Windows Azure or Amazon EC2.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
SLI Systems Brightens Online Shopping
March 21, 2013
Online shopping is designed to be a pleasant experience for shoppers and LEDHut wants to make sure that its customers get the most from their online shopping experience. According to the Econsultancy Digital Marketing Excellence article “LEDHut Brightens the Online Shopping Experience with Site Search from SLI Systems” LEDHut is switching to SLI’s Learning Search. They were previously using the open-source Magento e-commerce platform.
LEDHut wanted a site search that not only improved relevancy but also helped visitors learn more about LED technology and the lighting products that are readily available. More importantly Learning Search gives LEDHut the ability to provide more relevant and tailored results to their shoppers. Not only does the solution take into account misspellings but they also offer product suggestions and the users has done a few keystrokes. LEDHut is looking forward to adding a SLI powered mobile site. Keith Scott, Marketing Director of LEDHut made the following statement:
“The LED lighting industry is still in its infancy in the UK and Europe, which means our customers need to be presented with relevant items that match their searches. Now, instead of being overwhelmed by too many results, SLI’s Learning Search delivers precise results that are easier and faster for shoppers to browse through – which also helps them increase their knowledge of LED options to fit their home and lifestyle.”
Shaun Ryan CEO of SLI systems stated a very important fact.
“Fine-tuned, relevant results that are generated from the past behaviour of other visitors encouraging shoppers to browse and glean information about product choices – which in turn increases conversions.”
Online shopping should be a user-friendly and customer oriented experience so LEDHut definitely with the help of SLI Learning Search definitely has the right idea in mind.
April Holmes, March 21, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
New Tool Integrates with Text Analytics
March 21, 2013
Language and analytics are starting a new trend by coming together. According to the Destination CRM.com article “New SDL Machine Translation Tool Integrates with Text Analytics” SDL has announced that its machine translation tool can now be integrated to work with text analytics solutions. SDL BeGlobal can translate both structured and unstructured information across more than 80 different language combinations. The information is then analyzed using text analytics solutions. This gives users the ability to access global customer insights as well as important business trends. Jean-Francois Damais, Deputy Managing Director of loyalty global clients solutions at Ispos had the following to say regarding SDL BeGlobal.
“With the growth in global business and the accessibility of online information, we now have a much greater need to access and analyze data from multiple languages. As a company focused on innovation and dedicated to our clients’ successes, we deployed SDL BeGlobal machine translation to further improve our research insights and bring new value to our customers.”
SDL BeGlobal has already caught on with several companies in the text analytics industry and several well known companies have jumped on the bandwagon. Raytheon BBN Technologies currently uses the technology for broadcast and Web content monitoring and Expert Systems uses it for semantic intelligence. Language and analytics are two things that are not normally thought of together but seems like SDL BeGlobal has a good thing going. Only time will tell if the new friendship between language and analytics will last the test of time.
April Holmes, March 21, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Readability and the Game of Understanding
March 21, 2013
“Does Readability Give a False Sense of Understandability?” Daniel Lyon’s doesn’t seem to think so. He’s skeptical about the claims that readability increases the chances that a language will attract a large audience.
Especially with source code because it can be misleading.
“There is no point in misleading readers who have trouble understanding J-like code into thinking they understand the compiler, because they don’t. A veneer of readability cannot change that…. Sometimes, perhaps it’s just as well that a language or a program not pretend to be more understandable than it really is. Maybe a barrier to entry is good, by keeping readers out until they are ready to wield the power it affords.”
Giving consumers a base understanding often works against them in the long run. You have to walk before you can run and none of us will ever be able to fly. Readability can give us a broad overview of what we’re looking at, but the intricacies will still take skill and study.
But in today’s go go go world, who has time for intricacies and study?
Leslie Radcliff, March 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
WCC Group and ImageWare
March 20, 2013
I saw a reference to a court filing by the law firm called San Diego IP Law Group LLP. You can find the document at the San Diego court as Case 3:13-cv-oo309-DMS-JMA. I took a quick look and it appeared that the a company in the search and content processing business is a party to the legal matter. The “defendant”, if I read the document correctly, is WCC Services US, Inc., a Delaware corporation owned by WCC Group BV in the Netherlands.
Here’s what WCC says about its company:
WCC is a high-end software company that automates the matching process by providing more accurate and intelligent results. Non-core activities such as client implementations are performed by qualified partners like Accenture or EDS. To maintain its stated company objectives, WCC recruits and retains a motivated, flexible and highly educated staff. The knowledge and passion of our people drives industry-leading innovation and delights customers with the quality of our products and support. WCC is committed to a transparent Corporate Governance structure, even as a privately-held company. The organization’s openness, internally and externally, gives stakeholders up-to-date information about WCC and its future course. Conservative accounting policies assure continuity of the company and clearly signal WCC’s reliability as a business partner.
The court document carries the phrase “Complain for patent infringement” with a demand for a jury trial. The court document references a number of patents; for example, US 7298873 and some others.
I just wanted to document the existence of this court document. Like the Palantir i2 Group dust up, these disputes about content processing are interesting to me. Once resolved, the information about the matter can disappear. Google, of course, does not like urls which fail to resolve. I don’t loud sirens. Like Google, there’s not much one can do about certain content going dark. Stuff happens whether Google or I like it.
Keep in mind that I don’t have a dog in this fight. I have been monitoring WCC Group’s information retrieval business, but the company has kept a low profile. I did try to contact the company a couple of years ago, but I was unable to get much traction.
WCC’s search system is called Elise. There are some public descriptions of the search related business at these links:
- Job matching
- An Elise solution for “PES” which I don’t recognize as a useful acronym for public employment services
- A case study for a German PES
The San Diego Law Group’s Web site is http://firm.sandiegoiplaw.com/. The WCC Web site (assuming I have located the correct Web destination) is http://www.wcc-group.com/.
Stephen E Arnold, March 20, 2013
Android, Rubin, and the Google Management Circle
March 20, 2013
I read “Disconnect: Why Andy Rubin and Android Called It Quits.” I think the write up tells a great story. A human is an android. Now the human wants to turn his android talents to robots. A movie in the making.
I also noted this quote which I assume is spot on:
“I love working with Andy because he’s brilliant at setting big goals for the seemingly impossible – and then mobilizing small teams to achieve them,” Urs Hölzle, senior vice president of infrastructure at Google, said in a statement to The Verge. “He’s a great talent, very inspiring. I’m not sure anyone else could have made Android happen.” But Rubin was unwilling or unable to make big industry partnerships that could turn Android into a moneymaker for Google. While Samsung got rich off shipping phones built on Android, Google’s brand faded into the background and its influence was chipped away. “Andy is a solo artist who likes to run in a direction and ignore everyone else,” says one mobile industry executive who’s worked with Rubin. “When Android grew to a certain size and required interaction, collaboration and partnership both inside and outside of Google, he became frustrated and incapable of managing the business. Android has outgrown Andy and honestly, I don’t think he knows where to take it next.”
I read this with some interest because there are three issues bubbling under the surface of these snappy sentences.
First, Google has a management mafia. Some folks fit in; others do not. The ones who do not get an opportunity to find their future with robots or Yahoo. There are some similarities in the challenges too.
Second, the folks moving to the “consolidation” and “monetization” phase of Google’s game plan are not too keen on coming in second. Whether the threat is Apple or Samsung, some zip is needed. Zeal is good. Antipathy toward certain business practices can be helpful as well. Note that these skills do not require “mobile sensitivity.”
Third, the controlled chaos of Google is now becoming a fascinating feudal system. There are workers and their are leaders. Then there are the inner circle of managers who have one mission: keep those revenues going up. The inner circle, in my opinion, is triggering the hiring of “older stars” like certain university researchers and buying companies for “talent.” The idea is easy for me to understand. The existing workers are not able to make the leaps required to pump up those numbers, curtail escalating costs, and knock down pesky competitors.
Just my viewpoint. Quack.
Stephen E Arnold, March 20, 2013
HighGain Uncovers Interesting Real Estate Play
March 20, 2013
Our sister publication HIghGainBlog ran a story today called IKM Capital Management: An Innovative Investment Method". A quick tip of the hat to Jasmine Ashton, who serves as the editor of our new fine liqueur information service GourmetDeVille.
Stephen E Arnold, March 20, 2013
Beyond Search Twitter Saga
March 20, 2013
Just a quick update. First, don’t call me and say, “Beyond Search is distributing bad stuff.” We are not and we have been working with Twitter, including its head of search, to get this problem resolved. So far no luck. There is little I can do because the script kiddies have changed various Twitter data elements so Twitter does not know that Beyond Search is a service which comments about search and retrieval, not pop stars’ indiscretions. We have in place an alternate newsfeed, and we will be announcing it in the next few days. In the meantime, make a note: “The 69 year old operator of Beyond Search is not interested in rock and roll, stolen software, and other topics which make 13 years olds salivate.” Twitter is a free service and I, like anyone else, run a risk when using it. If you don’t want to see what the pirates are pumping out, kill the follow and get the posts on Facebook or LinkedIn. Better yet, read the blog.
Stephen E Arnold, March 20, 2013
Open Source Security Issues Emerge Again
March 20, 2013
When discussing software that essentially powers an entire organization, security should always be a concern. Many tout open source for being a powerful answer to many of the security issues (mainly viruses) that target proprietary solutions. However, with a recent scare, some give reasons to be caution about open source software security also. Read more in the TechWorld article, “Security of Open-source Software Again Being Scrutinised.”
The article begins:
“A recent round of flaws discovered in open-source software has reignited concerns that security is getting bypassed in the rush to continue expanding the large and extremely popular code base used by millions. For instance, although the Java-based Spring Framework was criticised by security researchers in January as having a major flaw that allowed remote-code execution by attackers against applications built with it, the updates to Spring this week don’t address this security problem.”
For many organizations, the answer to security concerns is to choose a value-added solution that is built on open source technology. In this way, users get the flexibility and affordability of cutting-edge open source technology. However, they also get the customer support, security updates, and training that goes along with a trusted name in the industry. Take LucidWorks for example, their support and training is unparallel.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 20, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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