Google Partner Interprets Knowledge Graph
June 19, 2012
The Big G is about to reaffirm its position as the most popular search engine according to Google Knowledge Graph – What it Really Does, by AppsCare. Google’s partners rave about the Knowledge Graph’s functionality when searching.
This might be the largest thinking virtual library ever created as the:
“Knowledge graph is the result of a 15-year revelation by John Giannandrea, who imagined a virtual catalogue of ‘everything in the world’. “Trying to understand the entire world’s information, catalogue all the human knowledge, the challenge was making it rich and intelligent. By tying our concept into [Google] search, we did it. The Knowledge Graph uses approximately 3.5 billion different attributed to organize results. Other websites will have to move further up the value chain in order to survive.”
The Graph is only available in the US, but some interesting features are:
- Discover live or cultural events
- Find recommendations for music, books, TV and movies
- Locate the closest service provider
- Know the must-see attractions when travelling
- It is predicted that Google will gain a monopolistic position in online search as the company attempt to recapture the intellectual high ground in an area where it remains strong.
If Knowledge Graph truly understands the relationships between real-world objects and people, utilizing that technology may be the key to keeping Google on top. This was an interesting partner’s view of Google’s Knowledge Graph and the possibilities it holds.
Jennifer Shockley, June 19, 2012
To Turn Back the Tweets of Time
June 19, 2012
You just can’t turn back the tweets of time, at least not too far back. They’ve been going for the top spot in spontaneous micro blogging, but to the dismay of its 140 million users Twitter has issues. For a social site that was designed for speed updates, it works. Your nightmare begins if you dare try to look into the past beyond a few days according; Topsy knows what you did on Twitter last year.
Ironically, Topsy Labs has a database of tweets including links going back to 2008, however Twitter does not provide this service and:
“Why doesn’t Twitter, which has all this data in the first place, already offer its own archive search? The San Francisco-based company’s answer each time people have asked, including my most recent query on Wednesday, has been “we’re working on it.”
“I would suggest that before it embarks on yet another site redesign, it tackle this issue. We’re not far from it being impossible to write a memoir or biography of the average public figure without looking over what they tweeted.”
Twitter currently has over 400 million tweets hitting the internet daily. They are donating their database to the Library of Congress in the name of scientific research. Perhaps they can work out the problems that Twitter’s countless updates could not. For now there will be no turning back the tweets of time on Twitter itself, but Topsy has them.
Jennifer Shockley, June 19, 2012
Facebook Adds Customized User Controls. Who Has Time?
June 17, 2012
Facebook has seen quite a bit of limelight this month. Their IPO has garnered much media attention. Perhaps this is why their newest feature had a quiet introduction. “Facebook Tweaks Notifications to Help You Silence Annoying Applications, Updates” describes the new controls users have over the flow of updates into the notification box.
When a user sees a new notification, a small “X” icon also appears in the right hand corner of the notification. After they delete the newest notification from that application they will have the chance to click “Turn Off” to stop all notifications for that particular application, event or comment thread.
According to the article:
“This is especially helpful for gaming applications like Farmville that spam updates into the notification feed or updates from events that you didn’t attend, but neglected to decline the invitation. Users that don’t want to contribute to a long string of comments can avoid getting updates about new additions to the conversation. Users that spam groups with pointless updates can be silenced immediately.”
This addition to Facebook settings embedded into the homepage is sure to gain positive comments. In light of Facebook’s IPO especially, perhaps all the company needs is a little lipstick.
Megan Feil, June 17, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Poll Questions the Facebook Staying Power
June 15, 2012
Nearly a decade after Facebook’s inception, skeptics remain critical of the social media tycoon’s ability to stay current as technology continues to rapidly progress. ComputerWorld recently reported on the results of a May survey regarding the way Americans feel about the staying power of the social networking site in, “U.S Facebook Users Skeptical of Site’s Privacy, Longevity.”
According to the article, a recent poll surveying 1,004 U.S adults found that Americans a split in their opinions regarding whether or not Facebook is a passing trend. Over 50% of survey respondents lack faith in the social network, but 43% believe it is here to stay. One of the naysayers primary concerns is regarding Facebook’s willingness and ability to keep their personal information private.
When breaking down the numbers, the article stated:
“Three of every five Facebook users say they have little or no faith that the social network will keep their personal information private. Only 13% trust Facebook to protect their information, and only 12% would feel safe making purchases through the site. The AP noted that half of those who use the site daily — Facebook’s most loyal users — say they would not feel safe making a purchase on the network.”
Despite the fact that many people believe that Facebook is overvalued, there are just as many people out there who use find its value to be right on track. I guess only time will tell.
Jasmine Ashton, June 15, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Ants Lead the Way for Madrid Search Engine
June 14, 2012
Science Daily announces a new “Search Engine for Social Networks Based on the Behavior of Ants.” Only one problem– A company called NuTech Solutions offered this method a decade ago. Does the fast pace of the tech world make for poor memories?
According to the article, this latest ant-based solution from Madrid’s Carlos III University likens the way ants search for food to the search for relationships of elements in social networks. The resulting algorithm, known as SoSACO, aims to improve results time even as networks grow in size. The write up informs us:
“The way SoSACO works was inspired by behavior that has been perfected over thousands of years by one of the most disciplined insects on the planet when they search for food. In general, the algorithms used by colonies of ants imitate how they are capable of finding the path between the anthill and the source of food by secreting and following a chemical trail, called a pheromone, which is deposited on the ground.”
How exactly the pheromone trail method has been translated into a social media algorithm is not explained, but we can’t expect the team to give away all their secrets. The article does say that SoSACO allows systems to find routes more easily without modifying the graph structure. It also informs us that researchers expect the algorithm could be useful in other applications, like planning freight delivery routes or seeing whether two words are related.
Ah, but can the algorithm carry twenty times its weight? If not, I’m afraid the ants still have it beat.
Cynthia Murrell, June 14, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
The Partnership Race: Will the Tactic Work for Search?
June 13, 2012
As functions of technologies intersect, companies build partnerships to extract the maximum value possible. The article “Clarabridge and Connotate Partner to Provide World-Class Online and Social Media Data Analysis” discusses a newly formed partnership in one of the key areas where many technologies are merging: social media.
Clarabridge provides sentiment and text analytics for Customer Experience Management and Connotate offers data management solutions. This partnership will enable users to analyze and draw insights from the feedback data. Financial Services, Pharmaceutical and Market Research professionals will now be able to easily retrieve and store customer feedback data from specific online platforms.
According to the referenced article, CEO of Connotate Keith Cooper discussed the growing options customers have to voice their opinions online:
“In order to get a truly holistic understanding of customers, companies need to be able to look deeper into what customers are saying above and beyond Facebook, Twitter and other popular social media sites. With Connotate, companies can easily collect data from thousands of niche sources in almost any industry — ranging from pharmaceutical and online retail sites to global news outlets.”
Both companies clearly benefit from the others’ technology. Hopefully for their sakes, potential clients will see each of their added value. Perhaps this will result in a jump start to sales for each company?
Our view is that resellers with market traction can pick and choose the tie ups that have the greatest upside. Search vendors may find that wooing a hot reseller is more difficult than ever before.
Megan Feil, June 13, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Facebook Preferences to Advertisers
June 13, 2012
Wired gives us the inside scoop on “How Facebook Knows What You Really Like.” It all hinges on Open Graph, a system that expands Facebook‘s famous connections mapping technology to its commercial partners. The initiative is an addition to the Facebook Platform, the toolset that lets outside companies develop applications that link into the social network. Targeted marketing at its tightest. The article explains:
“In the case of Open Graph, the task is to weed through the mountains of data streaming from outside operations and serve up only the stuff that’s most relevant. The system works in two stages. First, it seeks to determine how interesting a certain type data would be to Facebook’s audience as a whole. Then, using this global rating as a starting point, it tries to determine how important the data is to you in particular.”
So, because I have shown an interest in technology, music, and travel, those are the kinds of adds I see in my feed. The software that keeps track of what we like, called Scribe, is designed to log large amount of data in realtime; another program analyzes that data to determine big-picture trends. About a billion clicks are processed per hour.
Wired’s Cade Metz theorizes that the Open Graph model, though designed around Facebook, could become a standard for other Web services. Perhaps, some day. For the moment, though, companies who have plugged in to the system report huge leaps in Facebook-supplied traffic. It’s good to know their investment is paying off.
What about the users? I, for one, am happy to see adds for (mostly) things I’m actually interested in alongside my newsfeed. Yes, data harvesting bothers many, but those folks shouldn’t be on Facebook anyway. We all go into it knowing the company is just using us to feed its advertisers. Right?
Cynthia Murrell,June 13, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Google+ Jumps into Photo Sharing
June 12, 2012
No doubt inspired by Flickr and Instagram, Google is doing a “me too!” in the photo sharing space. VentureBeat announces that “Google+ Wants to Be Your New Flickr.” Innovation, is thy name imitation? I guess it doesn’t matter, as long as the profits roll in.
At the recent two-day Google+ Photographers Conference in San Francisco, V.P. of Product for Google+ Bradley Horowitz expressed some strong opinions on the place of images in our online future. Specifically, he wants to maximize the metadata associated with any photo, down to the position of the camera, lens optics, even physiological information about the hand that holds the camera. Though that sounds a little Orwellian, the point is to capture as much detail behind each memory as possible. That’s sweet. Right?
Naturally, the purview of photo sharing applications is what happens to the image after it is taken.
Horowitz looks forward to the day when image storage, transfer, and manipulation are all easy and seamless. The article notes:
“Eventually Google aims to blur the line between the device and the cloud, so all the data you generate is automatically backed up, archived, and secured in a nice non-obtrusive manner. Automating this synthesizing stage would free up time for photographers to focus on the more enjoyable process of manipulating the data.
“Horowitz wants to increase the power of its own post-processing tools, making image editors scalable so that an amateur can use them as easily as a professional photographer. Replacing the very segmented image editing market and creating a tool that is equal parts Instagram, Lightroom, and Photoshop is an especially ambitious (perhaps naive) idea.”
So it is. Can Google achieve this lofty goal? Perhaps. The company has surprised us before.
Cynthia Murrell, June 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Social Analytics Case Studies Available: Sentiment Towards Major Airlines
June 12, 2012
Whether or not companies choose to look at customers’ experiences told through channels such as Facebook and Twitter, customers are updating their statuses and tweeting about their experiences. Airlines are one such industry in which people frequently rant and rave about.
The article “Friday’s Features: Using Attensity Analyze 6.0 To Compare Customer Sentiment for @United @ Southwestair @Virginamerica” discusses a comparative analysis of data on these three airlines. The figures shown in the article illustrate share of voice, sentiment by airline, and detailed positive or negative sentiment.
As for results, Virgin America’s positive sentiment hovers above 75% positive while Southwest Airlines held at slightly over 70% positive. United’s sentiment shows the opposite with around 26% positive sentiment and 74% negative sentiment.
The article referenced above concludes that social media is influential for these airlines:
“Hoping that folks will ignore you if you ignore social media is a sure way to drive negative sentiment for your customer base. While United Airlines may feel insulated by its corporate contracts, expect many individuals to tell their procurement organizations to switch carriers this year as the negative sentiment for United grows. In fact, companies such as United Airlines better wake up to the reality of social media or face an eroding customer base.”
These social analytics case studies are particularly useful in showing how transparent customer relations have become. Snag this information while it is out there.
Megan Feil, June 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Social Media Monitoring to Lift Sales One Hopes
June 11, 2012
The InsideView Blog makes great promises for social media’s ability to make sales in “How to Boost B2B Sales with Social Media.” The write up insists that the information gleaned from social customer research management has become indispensable for sales pros in targeting their advertising. Both individual and business customers can be monitored for what they are looking for and what they are looking to avoid. That could certainly help businesses address customer needs, though I think it would be more valuable for some sizes and types of businesses than others.
Writer Koka Sexton is on to something when advocating companies monitor their competition. I think this would give almost any business at least some insights they can use. The article suggests:
“Some investigative social media searching can help you assess your competition and better understand the market. Find out what customers are saying on your competitor’s social media pages. Are there complaints or customer service issues? You can use this information to your advantage by highlighting some of the problems with the competition in your sales pitch. The more you know about your competition, the better you will be able to convince your customers that your product or service is better. Social media research can give you this helpful insight.”
It is true that social media monitoring may help many businesses market their wares more effectively, especially if they can find competitor weaknesses to exploit. However, every company must apply common sense in deciding how much monitoring is a wise use of resources for their situation.
Cynthia Murrell, June 11, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
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