Tips for Creating a Unique Web Site Experience for Visitors
October 22, 2012
Sticky sites are considered engaging and well-designed so that visitors find it hard to leave the site. In “Making Your Site Sticky for Both Search & Social Users,” Jordan Kasteler discusses the differences between search and social users and how to design a site with both in mind. He points out that search users are keyword based whereas social users begin with a click on a social network. Kasteler shares this tip on creating a unique experience for the user:
Personalized. We’ve come a long way since the days of sales-brochure websites. Your website shouldn’t look like every other site out there; rather, your audience should be able to instantly get a sense of what makes you different from your competitors.
He goes on to add this about in-site search capabilities:
Easy-To-Navigate, Easy-To-Use. For the search crowd, this means having an easy-to-navigate site with prominent menu options and an effective in-site search function. The social crowd should be attracted to these key features on your site: sales, promotions, popular blog posts, etc.
When you’re weighing options for Web site search solutions, consider Mindbreeze InSite to add a powerful and customized search experience for your Web site visitors. InSite is powered by semantic search and is customizable so you can give your site the most intuitive features and add some ‘stickiness’ to your site.
Philip West, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
IntelTrax Summary: October 12 to October 18
October 22, 2012
This week the IntelTrax advanced intelligence blog posted some informative stories regarding the state of big data analytics technology and its impact on marketers and retailers.
“Big Data Particularly Useful for Marketers” examines businesses can mine data that they are already collecting in order to increase revenue. The pressure to create a marketing strategy that is both customer and market driven is intense, and it has caused many marketers to turn to analytics solutions for aid:
“Marketing analytics used in conjunction with big data will help many organizations properly evaluate their marketing performance, gain insight into their clients’ purchasing habits, market trends and needs and make evidence-based marketing decisions. As one example, look at how politicians are using big data to identify their target audience and reach out to the so-called “silent majority.”
“Using Big Data Analytics to Predict Consumer Behavior” is another article that discusses the impact that big data analytics has on marketers. It examines changes in consumer behavior. Now, instead of marketers running the show, it is the customers who are leading market trends.
The article predicts:
“In the not-too-distant future, you will be able, for example, to change your contact information with many vendors at once, rather than many times, over and over, at many different websites. You will declare your own policies, preferences and terms of engagement—and do it in ways that can be automated both for you and the companies you engage. You will no longer have to “accept” agreements that aren’t worth reading because, as we all know, they cover the other party’s butt but expose yours.
In addition to your personal tool kit, you’ll have software that can knit together your apps with the services offered by companies, saving work for you and creating business for them—all in real time.”
Many smaller companies that are new to the analytics scene are choosing to invest in Google Analytics over some other solutions. “Google Analytics for Dummies” shares an article that provides a step-by-step look at how to use Google Analytics to determine the success of your sight.
However, the author explains:
“Google analytics are meaningless if you can not take the information it gathers and make necessary changes on your web site. Not everyone realizes this, but there are other companies out there that offer even more comprehensive analytics services than Google. Digital Reasoning has spent the past decade creating automated understanding for big data. Its flagship product Synthesys addresses big data challenges in the enterprise market – including Financial Services, Healthcare, Insurance Fraud, Electronic Discovery, and Enterprise Risk.”
Digital Reasoning is a company that has been working in the data analysis and management field to create a solution that takes the pressure off employees and automates the process. Synthesys is used by marketers worldwide to understand market trends and gain valuable insights into customer behavior.
Jasmine Ashton, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Zeppelin looks to enter the Ring with Other Social Business Tools
October 19, 2012
In “Yammer, Jive, Microsoft SharePoint are ‘Blank Pieces of Paper,’ says Zeppelin,” Meghan Kelly relays comments from Zeppelin on the social business tool’s potential to connect employees in the workplace. Zeppelin co-founder Anze Vodownik voiced opinion at the DEMO Conference that Yammer, Jive, SharePoint, and the like claim to be a new Facebook or Twitter but are installed in a company and become underused. She had this to say about the Zeppelin service:
Zeppelin lets employees put quick blurbs about their day in front of coworkers. It connects with Google Analytics, Basecamp, Microsoft, and customer relationship management systems, and allows employees to upload files and photos. You can also sign up for a daily or weekly summary of what is happening on your team.
The company launched its private beta today. Right now, Zeppelin is only going after the small to medium-sized business market.
SharePoint is a ubiquitous platform that is only increasing adoption rates. When it comes to encouraging collaboration in the business environment, consider a third party application that also taps into all of your information, including social media channels. Mindbreeze facilitates the comprehensive incorporation of all electronic data repositories and connects seamlessly with SharePoint. Social business and employee collaboration fueled by efficient and comprehensive access to information is possible with Mindbreeze.
Philip West, October 19, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Search Technology Delivers Enterprise Information
October 18, 2012
Generic server markets are desperately trying to hang on to their hardware margins but the new competition comes with some renown. Corporations like IBM and Cisco are seizing opportunities to create a unified computing system that might just drive the smaller servers out of business according to GigaOM’s article “Does Big Data Really Need Custom Hardware?”.
IBM is using their built in expertise and reputation as leverage in attempt to corner the Big Data market:
There are many who think that data processing will require something above and beyond a typical x86 set up, such as a box from SeaMicro or Calxeda machine with low-power cores that are networked to work in parallel to parse many bits of data in small chunks. Others are thinking farther ahead and envision new architectures that mimic the human brain. These boxes aren’t about the whiz-bang tech inside; they’re an admission that services wrapped in a box are the main opportunity ahead for larger vendors.
Information management software already exists that can effectively and securely extract and enrich raw data within an enterprise-wide environment. The hook for IBM is to draw users to their other PureData services and push out the smaller companies. Enterprises have been relying on smaller scale developers such as Polyspot for information delivery solutions so it is unlikely that these innovative companies will be bullied out of their field of expertise, even by someone as colossal as IBM.
Jennifer Shockley, October 18, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Making Connections between Data with Semantic Search
October 18, 2012
In “Google’s Knowledge Graph: Implications for Search & SEO,” Bharati Ahuja discusses Google’s hopes for the Knowledge Graph to help deliver a more perfect search engine, or in Google’s Matt Cutts’s opinion, a knowledge engine. The Knowledge Graph aims to help users find the right thing, get the best summary, and go deeper and broader to discover more about the search to potentially answer the user’s next question before it is asked. Ahuja explains its impact on SEO:
The Knowledge Graph is also paving the way to new approaches toward SEO. Semantic search isn’t just about the web. It’s about all information, data, and applications. Data is the foundation on which such a web and search world can exist. Data in itself is meaningless, but when data gets linked because of its relationships with various data sets available on the web, it becomes useful and meaningful. So when users type in a query, these inter-connected relationships add context and the related information more powerful.
The power of semantic search in addition to relevant content is key to gaining and retaining an audience. A powerful search system that can make connections among vast amounts of data can also help deliver a better search experience for users. One solution worth taking a look at is InSite from Mindbreeze. InSite is capable of searching a wide variety of specific documents, including PDFs, Excel sheets, and Word documents, as well as searching social media sites and Web sites.
Philip West, October 18, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
PolySpot Releases New Administrative Console
October 17, 2012
PolySpot’s latest video explains the features and functions of Version 6 of its Administration Console. With this latest release, PolySpot leapfrogs of the administrative interfaces available from many other vendors. PolySpot Information At Work includes a configuration and administration console that covers the entire process, from connector management to search service creation.
The company has provided a video demonstrating the uses of this new administrative console and detailing these high-value enhancement; for example, the ability to configure views with a click, modify the document view with a single click, and autocomplete.
PolySpot, leader in information access solutions, has released a brand new administration console as part of the company’s infrastructure component, Information at Work. Information at Work is a cost-effective component that can help users develop applications to access the information they need.
The updated console provides quick and easy-to-use intermodule navigation with new navigation menus and focuses on providing guidance during the workflow of configuration. Other features of the interface include:
PolySpot Silo Breaker: Distributed data extraction framework.
PolySpot Sense Builder: Dedicated, asynchronous structuring and semantic enrichment platform.
PolySpot SearchMart: Service based on PolySpot InfoWarehouse used to publish index-linked search services. Can be accessed via a range of different applications using an XML/HTTP API.
The video can be viewed here. We think the video demonstration is useful and worth checking out.
Andrea Hayden, October 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
How a Sitemap Can Enhance a Web Presence
October 17, 2012
Business2Community covers the importance of Web site indexing in its piece, “How To Build Your Own Sitemap in Five Minutes, and Why You Need To.” In it, the author discusses differences processes for simply creating an effective sitemap. However, he begins with an introduction.
When you ask most business owners and beginning online marketers what a ‘Sitemap’ is, you usually get two responses. ‘What’s that?’ or ‘That’s just too complicated for us.’ Sitemaps for your website aren’t impossible to make, and they certainly aren’t a waste of time. To understand why you need to make your own Sitemap today, you need to understand what they are and how they work.
The author then goes on to recommend various tools and techniques for effectively creating a sitemap. However, there are other solutions that not only automatically generate sitemaps, but also automatically crawl and index any organization’s site in order to enable effective Web site search. One highly awarded option is Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite. Fabasoft Mindbreeze takes the guesswork out of indexing and mapping, reaping high results with little effort. Explore how Fabasoft Mindbreeze might enhance your organization’s online presence today.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
What Does Attivio and Its $34 Million Mean for Other Vendors?
October 16, 2012
Boston.com’s “Attivio Collects $34 Million in New Funding to Help Companies figure Out What They Know” caught the attention of the goslings here in Harrod’s Creek. I have spoken with several senior managers in the content processing and analytics space, and I can report that none of these individuals had his or her arms around the broader meaning of the $34 million Attivio landed.
Boston.com reported:
“One thing our software does is correlations,” Riaz explains. “You may have an unpaid invoice that belongs to Cisco, and we help you figure out that the reason its unpaid is that you may have all these support issues with them that you need to address.” Riaz says part of the appeal of Attivio’s software, which it calls the Active Intelligence Engine, is that “we can merge into their existing information infrastructure so that we’re adding value in days.”
What the reports of Attivio’s funding omits is the possible impact of the money on the search and content processing sector. Let me outline four consequences of this funding deal:
First, the competition is going to have to find a way to cope with Attivio’s marketing and sales activities. Attivio is a pretty good marketing operation. However, with additional funding, Attivio will be able to compete against its traditional competition and push into sectors which are more familiar with IBM- and Oracle-type solutions.
Second, the prospect pool for Attivio will grow. Money today works like catnip. Companies looking for a way to cope with distributed and fractionalized data will include Attivio in their short lists. Money works this magic.
Third, people who are working at smaller analytics firms or who are in a cube at a Google-type operation will consider Attivio as a job hop option. This means that smart people will gravitate to Attivio because it offers a green field opportunity.
Fourth, innovators are likely to knock on Attivio’s door. Raw invention is one thing, but turbo charging comes from learning about hot new systems and methods. I think Attivio will benefit from a flow of ideas from small outfits looking for a mover and shaker.
Good news for Attivio. Maybe some other investment firms will look at the information delivery sector and another hot prospect. Exciting times.
Stephen E Arnold, October 16, 2012
Microsoft Mastery Becoming Harder to Find
October 16, 2012
It is often said that the power of a solution and its ease of use are conversely proportional. If a solution is powerful, it will no doubt be very difficult to master, or vice versa. The rule holds very true for SharePoint. Even as SharePoint 2013 is unveiled, highly trained developers are being warned that additional training will be needed. The Redmond Channel Partner covers the issue in, “Office 365, SharePoint and SQL Server: Our Experts Weigh In.”
The author states:
Meanwhile, as the flagship Microsoft database and collaboration platforms become more entrenched, provisioning and managing them have become more complex. The new capabilities and use cases of Windows Server — combined with the new requirements of SQL Server and SharePoint — require organizations to offer extensive new skill sets.
So how is a small or medium size organization supposed to cope with the growing demands? Fabasoft Mindbreeze offers an entire suite of solutions for the enterprise, all designed to be intuitive and powerful, even for an end-user who is not a highly skilled developer. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise is a small third-party solution that adds quality, usability, and style to the enterprise seamlessly. Read more to see if the solution can optimize your organization’s intranet.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Automation to Cure Duplicate Content Issues
October 15, 2012
Search Engine Land is shining a light on a common Web site search problem, duplicate content issues. Read the full report in, “An Automated Tool To Eliminate Duplicate Content Issues.”
The author begins:
BloomReach announced a new software product named Dynamic Duplication Reduction (DDR) that aims to eliminate duplicate content issues on web sites. Typically, software tools are known to cause duplicate content issues but this tool promises to reverse it. The tool deeply crawls your web pages and continuously interprets all content on a site. It will automatically discover and act on duplicate pages.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and in this case the prevention needed is effective Web site indexing. Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite quickly crawls and indexes all Web site content delivering search results based on relevancy. Misspellings are even corrected with InSite and duplication is prevented. Fabasoft Mindbreeze is a longstanding leader in third party solutions for the enterprise. InSite is quickly becoming the icing on the cake of this industry leader.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 15, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
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