Arnold January 2011 For-Fee Columns
December 30, 2010
My for-fee columns due on January 1, 2011, are now written. I had to accelerate the pace this month because I have been on the road, enjoying the snow in France and the UK. I will be heading for warmer climes at the end of the month. Keep in mind that the for-fee work is more serious and fact-rich than the content in my Beyond Search Web log. Due to the agreements I sign for these for-fee writings.
Here’s the run down for my for fee August 2010 columns. These will appear over the next four to 12 weeks. Each for-fee publication has a different editorial cycle.
- Enterprise Technology Management. “Google Enterprise Apps: Forcing Competitors to React”. I am now doing a monthly column for the print and online editions of ETM, which is a publication aimed at global information technology managers. I kick off 2011 by looking at what I think is the real reason Google is pushing its applications for the enterprise so aggressively.
- Information Today, “Search Interfaces: What Will Work in 2011?” The big news in enterprise search is the user experience. I take a look at a surprising change in how one will “find” information in 2011. You may not have to search at all!
- Information World Review (Bizmedia), “SAP: After Admission of Guilt, What’s Next?” SAP admitted guilt in its dust up with Oracle. So, I consider the question, “What’s next for SAP?”
- KMWorld, “EasyAsk: Cut Loose with Semantics and NLP in 2011?” EasyAsk is now a stand-alone company again. With potent natural language processing capability, what new functionality will NLP provide you? I try to answer this question for KMWorld.
- Smart Business Network, “Is 2011 the Year for You to Create a Social Media Policy?” With Facebook becoming a must-have marketing vehicle, should large and small businesses alike whip up a social media rule book? The idea sounds good, but is it necessary.
The full text of these articles is available directly from their respective publishers.
Stephen E Arnold, December 30, 2010
Freebie but I get paid to write these for fee thingies.
More Interface Excitement: NetCharts Snags Fonterra
December 29, 2010
PR Newswire reports that “Fonterra Picks NetCharts Performance Dashboards to Help Improve Business Performance.” The NetCharts Performance Dashboards (NCPD) made Visual Mining—an industry leader in business intelligence, data visualizations solutions, and performance management—will track/share key reporting indicators (KPIs) for Fronterra to use in all aspects of its company.
“Using NCPD, Fonterra’s Brand Division connects to multiple data sources from the same dashboard, performs quick analysis by switching between various data dimensions and applies the KPIs relevant to their division. NCPD also supplies the forecasting, data validation and calculations Fonterra relies upon for their day-to-day reporting.”
Fronterra chose to the NCPDs, because they are a high-quality, cost-effective dashboards and Visual Mining has an exceptional track record for technical services. Visual Mining is extremely pleased about the Fronterra deal and guarantees that Fronterra will find their businesses practices are more efficient and effective with their NetCharts Performance Dashboards.
Stephen E Arnold, December 29, 2010
Freebie
Netvibes Dashboards and Search
December 19, 2010
The San Francisco Gate gives us another story about dashboards: “Introducing Netvibes Dashboard Intelligence Solutions: Business Intelligence Reinvented for the Real-Time Web.” Netvibes has invented the Dashboard Intelligence solution, a dashboard programmed with features, including SmartTagging, to collect, interpret, and organize real time information for businesses. Netvibes’s advertising declares that the dashboard will save time, generate usable, current data, and keep businesses abreast about all social media information. The SmartTagging feature is how most of these actions will be accomplished.
“SmartTagging can capture hidden value generated by an infinite number of everyday work activities. Users won’t need to learn any complex new tools–they will soon be able to simply click and tag anything they access online with their personal sentiment and share their expertise with the entire organization.”
SmartTagging will then distribute this information to other personnel, who then can comment, and their additions will be sent out. This creates a cyclical process, augmented by new, real time information that keeps being fed into the system. I wonder if there will any repeated information or systems will get overloaded. Conclusion: do these dashboards actually make information access easier or harder in your opinion? Or, do dashboard provide a better user experience with the data pre-processed and ready to consume without critical thinking?
Whitney Grace, December 19, 2010
Freebie
Boolean and the Future of Search
December 19, 2010
Six years teaching library instruction sessions to college students taught me that Boolean searching is misunderstood by a majority of individuals. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised to read Glen Cathey’s Sourcecon blog post, “Boolean Search Does Not = Internet Search”, detailing how many in the human resources industry think Boolean and Internet searching are one in the same.
In the article, Cathey provides a brief history of Boolean’s creation in the 1800s, then states, “Practically any information system from which you need to search and retrieve information from ‘speaks’ Boolean to some extent, whether you realize it or not.” He goes on to highlight the varying degrees in which Boolean can be used in several databases and search engines—concluding that “Internet search = limited and conditional Boolean search.”
An interesting perspective, but given that Boolean searching is limited in some of the most popular search engines and databases, I don’t believe that a clear understanding will be coming any time soon. And Boolean? Is there an app for that UX (user experience)?
Christina Sheley, December 19, 2010
Freebie
Storeslider Search
December 8, 2010
StoreSlider is the new, more chic, way to search on eBay.
StoreSlider utilizes thumbnail size pictures in order to give consumers a faster, more convenient search experience that is also visually appealing. The thumbnail includes valuable information like the name of the store, when the auction ends and the current bid.
I know not everyone is a “visual” person, but if you happen to be like me; pictures are a good thing.
EBay’s StoreSlider is creating a more realistic and less tedious shopping experience by allowing its consumers to do the same thing they would do if they found something they disliked at the mall; skip it and move on.
For the more traditional shoppers, eBay will still allow you to click on the picture and see the actual auction information where you identify the normal eBay spread and cast your bid.
It seems that eBay is really tapping into the consumer need to “grab and go” by creating StoreSlider. Interesting but this UX or user experience approach does little to change the underlying functionality of eBay search.
Stephen E Arnold, December 8, 2010
Freebie
IBM Wants an Intuitive Internet
November 12, 2010
Yep, and I want a million dollars.
In “IBM Outlines Vision of a More Intuitive Internet” the researchers at the IMB Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) have been conducting research on how to make a more ‘intuitive’ Internet. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t necessarily want an internet that can read my mind…..I’m just saying.
Researchers are trying to create a way to make the little things in life easier, for example; making reservations and paying bills by setting up automatic notifications.
The Internet will move beyond the present paradigm where people are responsible for the initiating and managing their own manual navigation of the Web, to a ‘personalized Web,’ functioning as a platform of services and resources that are dynamically and automatically configured to suit each person’s individual goals, tasks and concerns, in a way that person wants.
Please, correct me if I’m wrong but don’t we already have automatic notification and withdrawal programs? My bills were paid via automatic withdrawal this week…..so why do I need the internet to do it for me?
They want the Internet to work for people not vice versa….Well, in my book it already does, it’s called an iPhone. You can pay bills AND make reservations at your favorite dining locale. For an example of an intuitive Web site, navigate to www.ibm.com. Now try to find the FRU for a NetFinity 5500 case fan.
Leslie Radcliff, November 12, 2010
Freebie
Kelby Media Group: Clueless Marketers or Marketing Einsteins?
November 11, 2010
The dear old Wall Street Journal used to spam me to become a subscriber. The problem was that I was a subscriber. I don’t need two copies of the rag here at the goose pond. One’s enough.
I called the WSJ. I finally decided to collect their annoying spam emails and write about them in this blog. I think the highlight of my description of the WSJ as a clueless marketer was my reproduction of a series of offers that showed the WSJ was cutting prices to get subscribers. Remember. I was a subscriber. Finally, the WSJ either revised their mailing list or got tired of my pointing out their significant track record as clueless marketers. You can see some of my verbal musings here.
Now I have another outfit spamming me—Kelby Media Group and a bevy of related firms. Am I lucky or what? I have called the office several times, and to the firm’s credit, I spoke with the same kind human. Removing me from the email list was expertise she apparently has yet to master.
I pointed out that I was no longer interested in receiving a magazine about Photoshop and I was not at all interested in training, videos, books, or yip yap about Adobe. I want to be kind because according to a blog by a person allegedly named Scott Kelby, someone at this outfit has a black belt in Taw Kwondo. Yikes. I am fearful of becoming Thanksgiving Day’s goose if this is true.
Check out this ad I received on November 10, 2010:
Is this psychological manipulation or psychological silliness? I don’t know. I just don’t want to receive this type of email—leggy girls, etc. I guess as a former customer, my desires are irrelevant.
My clicking pointed me at Kelbytraining.com, an “official” looking trade associations called the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, and something called KelbyMediaGroup. A bit of poking around revealed that the training, the apparent not-for-profit operation, and the KelbyMediaGroup operate from Oldsmar, Florida. This outfit describes itself as “the force behind creatives.” Huh? Is this like police hard force, police soft force, Obi-Wan Kenobi force, or egotistically-fueled force. I am okay with force. I do like to know if the force is real or delusional. I also located some interesting reviews of The Book for Guys Who Don’t Want Kids (Hardcover), which may have been authored by the founder of the Kelby group.
Don’t get me wrong.
I have fond memories of Florida and some Floridians. on my last visit, I enjoyed many unusual sites such as folks my age driving huge luxury cars at slow speeds with windows rolled up and fur coats tight around their chins, looking hungrily for restaurant signs advertising an early bird special in neon. I noted the warnings about various swamp creatures who gobble pets and small children with some frequency. I recalled the opportunity to enjoy news items about Florida’s colorful political leaders and their penchant for chad. I even enjoyed my work for one of the fascinating units of the “new” Department of Defense at the air base plopped on prime real estate in lovely Tampa, which is America’s answer to Paris in my opinion. (Now that group defined “force” pretty clearly, and I don’t think there are too many creatives dabbling in color palettes on most working days.)
The emailings to me forces me to now associate Florida in general and Oldsmar in particular with the KelbyMediaGroup, an outfit that proudly displays a link to “unsubscribe or update your email address” on its mailings to me. I also admire the logo of the vendor who provides this fine, yet somewhat inept service, SubscriberMail. The problem is that the system does not record my preference. I keep getting emails from this Kelby outfit. Is the group clueless marketers or marketing Einsteins? I don’t know. Sure is annoying to me, though.
The Photoshop User magazine once was semi-useful in my opinion. Now I see the the editorial focus as really fuzzy. The publication talks a lot about experts. I think “experts” are useful. Now your mileage may vary. You may want to join a not-for-profit housed in lovely Oldsmar, Florida. You may want to receive lots of email from and about “experts”. You may enjoy Florida, its wildlife, high life, and low life. You can learn all about the”leading provider of education and information for creative professionals worldwide” here. Or you can call the office and talk to the gentle souls who have demonstrated marketing expertise that trumped the clueless Wall Street Journal: 813.749.4000. Here’s a Wikipedia bio of the alleged founder of the group. I generally believe everything I read in Wikipedia. Don’t you?
Net net: Great email marketing has been redefined. A benefit of sorts I suppose.
Stephen E Arnold, November 11, 2010
Freebie, unlike some of the events from certain poobah-fueled outfits that mix “association” goodness with down home email marketing.
Ease of Use: A Barrier to Business Intelligence Adoption
October 13, 2010
This story is a preview of a new ArnoldIT.com blog now in a limited test.
Training wheels are a good thing when learning to ride a bicycle. Once the training wheels are off, the rider is on his or her own. Most people survive bicycle riding without much more than a few bumps and scrapes. A small percentage suffer serious injuries.
For years, business intelligence came equipped with training wheels and a person with a degree in statistics with programming expertise. For a manager to hop on a business intelligence system, one of these experts plus training wheels were required. Not surprisingly, in this era of rapid fire decision making and flows of big data, who has time for the stats wonk and the speed inhibiting training wheels.
The argument in many organizations boils down to a demand from users to get direct access to business intelligence systems. Just as every Web surfer perceives himself / herself as an expert in online research, that confidence now reaches to most professionals.
“Ease of Use Is a Big Driver of SaaS Business Intelligence” reinforces this shift in the business intelligence market. According to the article on ITBusinessEdge.com:
When business users are actively involved in purchasing BI, ease of use is one of their primary criteria. And as White [a TDWI researcher] writes, “SaaS BI tools are generally intuitive, easy to use, and easy to understand.” Aberdeen found organizations using SaaS BI have 50 percent more self-service BI users than companies that do not use SaaS. That’s significant, since some folks think that getting more people using BI is the key to ROI. It’s also no surprise, then, that Dresner Advisory Services found earlier this year that vendors selling SaaS BI products are gaining ground on companies offering traditional, on-premise BI software. In addition to less-intimidating user interfaces, another reason SaaS BI is easier to use is because deployments typically are based on smaller, simpler data models. As White notes, SMBs using SaaS have smaller and less complex data sets than their larger counterparts. And at big companies, individual departments often use SaaS BI to supplement on-premise deployments by filling niches that traditional software doesn’t adequately address. “This smaller scale can make data inherently easier to navigate and easier to slice and dice,” White writes.
My opinion is that the “user experience” or UX will become more important that the user’s understanding of the underlying data’s strengths and weaknesses. Point and click works well in many situations. I am not convinced that buying a mission critical business intelligence system whether implemented via the cloud or on premises because of the snappy graphics and interface is appropriate.
Game link interfaces that obfuscate the underlying data may lead to very poorly informed decisions. A business intelligence system that isolates the user from the moving parts that put the information in a context may create more problems than its solves. Eye candy may not have the caloric value needed. I prefer a system that combines both rigor and ease of use. More importantly, I want the vendor to be standing by in case my ride begins to wobble. I saw a demonstration of a system from Digital Reasoning that struck me as having a good balance of features and functions without sacrificing ease of use.
Stephen E Arnold, October 13, 2010
Apple and Mirror Worlds: Seeing Double?
October 10, 2010
Short honk: The Mirror Worlds’ interface used a stack of cards metaphor. I have a screenshot floating around or had a screenshot floating around. I saw the interface in the mid 1990s. I thought it was cool because a query returned results in my favorite format—note cards in a stack. My recollection is that the most recent or more relevant items were at the top of the stack and the others receded to a vanishing point.
I read “Apple Hit With $625 Million Judgment in Patent Suit Over Cover Flow, Spotlight, Time Machine.” Apparently the US legal system saw some similarities between Apple’s technologies and interface elements and Mirror Worlds’ approach. I am no attorney, but the dust up reminds me that “new” is a matter of perspective and knowledge. When I attend a meeting with oh-so-confident 30 somethings, I am reminded that reinventing the wheel is a way of life. Sometimes the reinvention runs off the rim. More legal arabesques ahead. Now about that UX of thinking about paying those millions.
Stephen E Arnold, October 10, 2010
Freebie unlike patent litigation among oh-so-confident attorneys
Discovering Facebook Pages
September 30, 2010
Short honk: If you are a Facebook user, you may find the official Page Browser useful. The tool makes it easy to look at thumbnails and “discover” Facebook pages. Our thought was a StumbleUpon.com for Facebook. You view may be different. Point your browser at “Page Browser Officially Launched : A Perfect Way To Discover Interesting Facebook Pages.” The write up said:
Discovering Facebook Pages of your interests are very easy, just head towards Page Browser where you will find an array of thumbnails representing Facebook communities. If you feel something is of your interest, just hover over the thumbnail and a like button will pop up. Click it and you will get all news from that community incorporated in your News feed. If you want to know more about the community, just click the title under the thumbnail.
Why fiddle with a query when you can look at pictures? It is the 21st century way.
Stephen E Arnold, September 30, 2010
Freebie
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
