Gain Power, Lose Control? A Search Variant
October 20, 2011
The future of technology, like always, is fascinating: personal virtual assistants, customized search results, and big changes to information appliances. However, the new future Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Google and Facebook will be creating a mix of changes that will bring both unique benefits and some bad results.
It seems that the more advanced and powerful technology becomes, the more control users lose. We learn more in Datamation’s article, “How Apple, Google and Facebook Will Take Away Your Control,” which tells us:
“The more advanced this technology becomes, the bigger the decisions we’ll rely on them to make for us. Choices we now make will be “outsourced” to an unseen algorithm. We’ll voluntarily place ourselves at the mercy of thousands of software developers, and also blind chance. We will gain convenience, power and reliability. But we will lose control.”
Personal computers will no longer need to be maintained or customized. Personal assistants, like the iPhone 4s’ Siri, will place our words in context and learn what we “want.” Search algorithms will continue to customize to user attributes and actions.
Is the gain of convenience and reliability that we get from these shiny new toys worth it? Or is the shine just a distraction from the fact that we lose all control in search and technological decision making? I am not so sure the good will be outweighing the bad in this scenario, but I fear that we may be stuck in the cycle.
Andrea Hayden, October 20, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
SharePoint Best Practices and Beyond
October 12, 2011
No matter the extent of your search implementation challenges, our team at Search Technologies has the processes and technologies to deliver results.
A series of Best Practices articles for SharePoint Server 2010 by Microsoft TechNet includes an article on the best practices for enterprise search, “Best Practices for Search in SharePoint Server 2010.” The article also applies to Microsoft Search Server and covers everything from the deployment to antivirus policies.
Some useful information is covered; one learns to test the crawling and querying subsystems after changing any configuration or applying updates:
We recommend that you test the crawling and querying functionality of the server farm after you make configuration changes or apply updates. An easy way to do this is to create a temporary content source that is used only for this purpose. To test, we recommend that you crawl ten items — for example .txt files on a file share — and then perform search queries for those files. Make sure that the test items are currently not in the index.
Management also needs to be aware of planning the search topology, planning for capacity and performance, and planning for findability. Users must be able to easily find what they are looking for, and managed properties and scopes will enhance the end-user search experience. You must start with a well-configured infrastructure. Defragmenting the search database after a series of crawls and queries can help with content management.
Overall, it is important to test the subsystems, be prepared, and review the anti-virus policy to avoid any unexpected problems.
For more articles in the series, see Best practices (SharePoint Server 2010).
You will want to tap into the expertise garnered in more than 100 Fast search deployments by our team at Search Technologies. That’s where Search Technologies comes into the spot light. We have more experience than any other firm in implementing search best practices for SharePoint licensees. Contact us at www.searchtechnologies.com.
Iain Fletcher, Vice President, Search Technologies October 12, 2011
Search Technologies is the world’s largest independent provider of search engine expertise, consulting and implementation services.
New Kindle Fire Continues to Burn Book Retailers and Now Libraries
October 7, 2011
When Amazon first came out with the Kindle there were concerns that e-books would take the place of paper books and would force book stores to close their doors. It’s safe to say that these concerns were valid as Barnes and Noble and other book retailers are slowly going out of business despite attempts to hop on the e-book bandwagon. Now the impending release of the Kindle Fire, a $199 Android-based 7-inch touchscreen device, this week may be the nail in the coffin for our public libraries as well.
In addition to all of it’s exciting new apps, streaming, web access, and cross-platform compatibility, one of the Kindle Fire’s biggest selling points may be the rumored unlimited access to an e-book library (for $80 a year) which would include free access to over 3,000 Fox TV shows and free two day shipping.
In the article, The Birth of the Kindle Fire and the Death of the Public Library Sebastian Anthony says of the Kindle Fire e-book library feature:
This maneuver is as close to perfect as it gets. It has already overcome the biggest stumbling block to digital e-books — coming to terms with never holding/fingering/sniffing a paper book ever again — and now it’s moving in for the coup de grâce. The Kindle has flown off the shelves since its release in 2007, and while exact figures aren’t given, there could be 10 to 20 million Kindle users — and every single one of them would kill for an Amazon Digital Library. After all, even when you buy an e-book, you never really owned the book — Amazon can remotely delete books from your Kindle at any time — so why not rent?
While $199 purchasing cost and $80 yearly rental fees are a great deal, no amount of convenience can beat something that’s free.
Jasmine Ashton, October 7, 2011
Thetus Talks UX Over Beer
October 7, 2011
A press release from Thetus, “Have A Beer, Talk UX/UI,” invites anyone in
Silicon Forest of the Pacific Northwest to talk shop over a beer. Advertising for what they hope will be a reoccurring event, Thetus has decided to host a user group called PDX-UX.
Details for the inaugural meeting are as follows:
Our presenters are: Dino Citraro from Periscopic, demoing a project that will be released in November for The Economist, Paul Wagner, demoing Forkfly 4.0, Brian Reavis, demoing Seamless Studio, Object Prism’s Jim Klein, talking usage analytics and customer engagement optimization tools available for designers, and Kelly White, demoing a Windows 8 Tablet.
It’s an interesting marketing tool to say the least. The offer of beer is likely enough to draw a crowd. Sorry, we don’t drink and we are not sure beer and search are a felicitous combination. But if you find yourself in Portland, head to Thetus headquarters – hey, free beer.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 07, 2011
Azure Chip Consultant Blames Users for Lousy Search Systems
October 5, 2011
I was fascinated by a write up that perhaps incorrectly covers the recent Forrester research study “Market Overview Enterprise Search. I think the finding from the uptown consulting firm was based on independent research group and an evaluation of 12 enterprise search vendors. The vendors represented a broad spectrum of a market which is dominated by five or six firms. I admired the catholic approach and appreciated the inclusion of some systems that are likely to face tough financial challenges in the months ahead.
In the article Forrester: Enterprise Search Software Limited By User Strategy the writer breaks down the report to explain the differences in the various search providers and also provides us with some advice from Forrester for search consumers. The article states:
The report has a handful of recommendations for enterprises looking for an enterprise search product: Be firm in search requirements, conduct a proof of concept, hammer out a support and services agreement, meet with the vendor semiannually to update the organization’s plan and understand that technology is just one piece of the search puzzle. It explains that the quality of the search experience reflects the discipline with which a group manages its information assets.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems crazy to blame search weaknesses on the discipline of the users. But intellectually it is much easier than tackling the innards, requirements, and customization of information retrieval systems. Isn’t it wonderful that search experts are so darned on the ball.
Jasmine Ashton, October 5, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: SharePoint Goes Metro
October 5, 2011
Bing Introduces Action Buttons: Are These Confusing?
September 24, 2011
As people worldwide groan over the new Facebook layout, I am seriously focused on the big changes over at Bing.
Bing has recently introduced action buttons to their search results. Basically, when you search across seven popular categories (such as airlines, banks, and software downloads,) you will be presented buttons for popular actions on relevant sites instead of given a simple list of links.
Search Engine Watch covers the news in the article, “Bing Introduces Action Buttons to Search Results.” We learn:
Action buttons will attempt to go beyond simple site links to drill into a site’s deeper content. In some cases, the action buttons are the same. However in other cases, they are all new links. For example, checking in to or viewing the status of your flight are both site links and action buttons, yet Book a flight is an action button that does not exist in extended site links. Bing director Stefan Weitz states the site will be constantly looking for actions to add and requests that we “stay tuned.”
So, while others are aiming their “Internet-encourages-stalking” complaints at the new Facebook layout, I can’t tear myself away from this news from Bing. Since when did I need to be told what actions I am intending to take? If I want to book a flight, can’t I just search “book a flight” on my own, instead of being shown a series of action buttons I might be interested in? Thanks, but I don’t need training wheels or “nanny” culture buttons.
Andrea Hayden, September 24, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The Google Does the Tablet Me Too Dance
September 7, 2011
Google’s blog announces a “New Google Search Experience for Tablets.” The search giant is accommodating the increasingly popular hardware with a specialized design. The write up specifies:
We’ve simplified the layout of search results pages and increased the size of page contents like text, buttons and other touch targets to make it faster and easier to browse and interact with search results in portrait or landscape view. The search button located below the search box provides quick access to specific types of results like Images, Videos, Places, Shopping and more. Just tap to open the search menu and select an option to see results in one category.
The redesign also focuses on making the most of image results. They have enlarged image previews and sped up the loading of thumbnails. The also put previews on a continuous scroll, but I think whether that is an improvement is a matter of personal preference.
If you have an iPad or Android 3.1+ tablet, give it a try. Do the changes significantly improve the experience? Is this recognition of Apple’s dominance in this market or just a me too play? You decide.
Cynthia Murrell September 7, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
EasyAsk Right Choice for InkJet Superstore
August 29, 2011
Have you ever tried to find ink or toner for a not-so-new printer? The process can be confusing, and shoppers are unlikely to feel warm and fuzzy about any ink seller whose Web site only adds to the frustration.
One purveyor of ink and toner made a wise choice when it picked EasyAsk’s eCommerce Edition. EasyAsk asserts, “NetSuite Customer InkJet Superstore Jets Past Competitors Using EasyAsk Natural Language E-Commerce Search Software for SaaS.” The press release states,
Using EasyAsk eCommerce edition, InkJet Superstore has dramatically simplified finding the right printer cartridges and accessories, providing the easiest online experience for customers, increasing online orders and revenue. The news release said: “InkjetSuperstore.com sells toner and ink cartridges for virtually every make and model of printer, copier, and fax machine, with over 6,000 items. InkJet Superstore’s vision is clearly articulated on the company website: ‘To be the best, the easiest, the cheapest and friendliest place to buy printer accessories.’ To back this up, InkJet Superstore offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which includes paying for return shipping cost.
Source: http://www.inkjetsuperstore.com, powered by EasyAsk NLP technology
EasyAsk is helping InkJet Superstore deliver on its promises. Since the business implemented the solution, the site has had 80% fewer “no results” returns; increased order conversion rates by six percent; and decreased its phone calls and live chat requests, indicating that customers are more easily finding what they need.
The solution didn’t stop there. With their its rapidly expanding, Inkjet Superstore is taking advantage of the EasyAsk’s auto-sync feature to assimilate new products into the Web site. Furthermore, rich analytics mine customer search terms for items that are in demand, suggesting potential new products.
The Feivi Arnstein Interview: Founder of SearchLion
August 2, 2011
On August 1, 2011, I had an opportunity to talk with Feivi Arnstein, founder of SearchLion. SearchLion provides a browser-based interface that looks like a Google-influenced Web search system. The home page for SearchLion presents an interesting description: The new way to search. Welcome to the 21st century Web search.” The system makes it easy to narrow a query on specific types of content; for example, Web content, images, news, blogs, and Twitter messages.
SearchLion reflects a different approach from the keyword method that is quite different from the brute force approach used by the early Web search systems. In fact, the tagline for the service is “The New Way to Search.” To make certain a user understands the new direction the company is taking, the splash page offers the greeting, “Welcome to 21st century Web search.”
I ran queries on the system, which offers relevance ranked search results from Google and Yahoo. I found the output useful. When I clicked on the Open button next to an entry in the results list, the system displayed in the browser a preview of the Web page. IN addition, other hits are listed in the right hand column of the display which are related to the result I “opened”.
Source: www.searchlion.com
When I spoke with Mr. Arnstein, I was curious about the inspiration for the interface, which puts the focus on content, not ads. The idea for the content centric interface was, according to Mr. Arnstein, a result of his work in the financial services sector. Screens for traders, for example, are filled with information important to the task at hand. He said:
My first professional background was as a Technical Futures trader. I spent several years making a living day trading equity futures from my own private office. When you trade equities, you use software which makes use of every inch of screen space. So, for example, you can have a screen which is evenly split into four equity charts. The concept is simple: the more data you can access on the screen, the more productive you will be. I was accustomed to the efficiency of trading software. I realized that when searching and browsing the web, there were big parts of the screen going to waste. So I sought to find ways to use the available screen space to give the user more data.
He noted:
We think this fosters switching back and forth which is time consuming and can be confusing to many users. If you can have results and the source both on the same screen, our research suggests that users can find what they looking for much more quickly. In addition to opening the live sites, you can also save your searches together with the live sites. When you then load a search from your saved list, the live sites open automatically. We’ve used the same concepts without our MultiView features. Instead of the live Web site, MultiView uses the blank areas of the page to show you a different type of search result; for example, images, news, videos, etc.
The technical challenges were “interesting”, according to Mr. Arnstein. He added:
When showing more information, your browser will be using more resources. It took a lot of work and innovation to make sure the user gets his additional information, whether the live sites or the various types of results and still be extremely fast.
You can read the full interview with Mr. Arnstein on the ArnoldIT.com subsite, Search Wizards Speak. The Search Lion site is at http://www.searchlion.com.
Stephen E Arnold, August 2, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
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