As a sharing service within Gmail, Buzz isn’t ready for primetime yet. As a location service, Buzz could have been a serious challenger to Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, Loopt, and all the others preparing for big launches at SXSW later this week. Imagine Buzz as a location-based iPhone and Android app (or even just a web app). It still could have been linked to your Google Profile and perhaps would have even been a better gateway drug to making Google more social because it would have been a more gradual build-up. And to ensure some usage beyond Google Profiles, Google could have put Buzz in Gmail Labs, as an option for Gmail. As a broken social sharing service, Buzz in Gmail is annoying. But as a location-based stream of check-ins (that people could still comment on and like), it’s potentially interesting.

When I read this I think that Google’s tactical plans are not working particularly well. The issues range from a flawed view of the market to timing and sequencing. With the mounting legal troubles and the push into some tricky consumer sectors, Google’s management may have to step back and ask, “Now what?”

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

No one paid me to write this. Since I mentioned “buzz,” I think OSHA is in charge of noise-related regulations. Okay, I report receiving no money for this item.

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

No one paid me to write this item. I don’t know to whom to report because the US government knows quite a bit about Google and in general has the warm fuzzies for the company. I will report to the next Microsoft person with whom I speak.

IRI is “a leading research organization representing industrial and service companies that have a common interest in technological innovation and invest billions on research and development annually.” IRI wants to maximize the value of social media for its lead generation activities.

According to the new story:

…Members are able to use the search interface as a single collaboration point, fostering knowledge sharing among users and optimizing information…RI members using Velocity are utilizing a rich set of discovery, personalization and collaboration functionality, empowering them with greater control over their search experience.  Rather than just being able to search and find information, users can tag, rate and annotate documents and search terms to optimize future results all aimed at improving collaboration, innovation and productivity.

Approximately 1,000 IRI members will use the new search service.

My definition of social search is more narrow than that presented in the news story. The idea that search is a collaboration tool because a user can add a tag is more in the Microsoft SharePoint approach to information management. If you want more information, point your browser to Vivisimo’s Web site.

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

No one paid me to write this article. I will report non payment to the social secretary for the White House and if the position is not yet filled, I will report when the new person is on the job and screening invitation lists.

Well, it’s been a while now since Google launched the Nexus One — and so far, it hasn’t lived up to their expectations. I guess it’s not as bad as the Google Buzz roll-out, but Google’s attempt at fundamentally changing the way we buy cell phones has yet to bear much fruit.

Interesting. But Google has a policy of not paying for ads itself nor hiring consultants. I wonder if ZDNet’s editors will become more frisky as 2010 unfolds? Not much risk I suppose.

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

No one paid me to write this item. I will report non payment to the US Postal Service which may deliver some of the Google phones.

Thunderstone has always delivered free and personalized online demos tailored to the customer’s particular needs, plus 30-day eval units shipped pre-configured to the unique requirements of each customer. For Channel Partners with one or more employees who become Thunderstone-Certified Professionals – Thunderstone now offers free virtual versions of Thunderstone search solutions that certified personnel can use themselves to provide demos and evaluations for their own customers and prospects. All Thunderstone products come with a one-time, perpetual license which often saves customers 40 percent or more on their initial purchase. Thunderstone customers also enjoy an Investment Protection Program that makes upgrading their search solutions easy, desirable and affordable.

I gave Thunderstone high marks when I wrote the first three editions of the out of print Enterprise Search Report, published by a firm which has repositioned itself. (Better than the publisher who is now in a far off land enjoying the sun.) You can get more information about Thunderstone from my interview with the CEO and by visiting the firm’s Web site, http://www.thunderstone.com.

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

A freebie. Now I have to report non payment to the mayor of Cleveland. I haven’t been in Cleveland for a while. Lovely city. Lots of non payment going on, which is sad.

The Guardian’s approach, which was quite interesting to me, focused on eye tracking. You can read the write up and decide whether user experience or the content itself is the problem. I am very skeptical of the razzle dazzle about eye candy and how eyes move. My recollection from my grade school and high school days is that some people are not very adept readers. In my class which underwent a speed reading test in Illinois in the 1950s, few students were able to absorb blocks of text at one glance. Obviously, if there are some slow readers, there may be some difficulty with certain types of layouts. On the other hand, if you are like me and can swallow paragraphs or even pages at a glance, then the eye movement stuff may not be as significant as the value of the information.

My column for Information World Review focuses on substance. I leave the wandering eyeballs of those who read a word or two at a time and may sub vocalize when they grind through information to the arts and crafts approach to information. My opinion is that Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo are chasing real time content because it is has marketing value. There are useful data in real time results but not in the presentations of the big dogs of Web search. I identify some go-to services for real time search but you will have to wait until the IWR publishing cycle outputs the column.

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

No one paid me to write this. I wonder if those reading the article glance, move their lips, or follow with their fingers. I suppose this type of non compensated writing and the attendant question means I must report to the FBI, an outfit skilled in dealing with impressions of fingers.

• 40 percent market share (comScore data)
• 12.8 billion videos “compared with Hulu’s 903 million”. (I know this is ambiguous but the delta is interesting)
• Viewers watch 93 videos per month on YouTube.com. Hulu viewers was 23 videos per month.

What’s with Google and video? Is it another missed opportunity like Google’s social media efforts? a similar theme appears in “Nexus One’s Biggest challenge Isn’t iPhone; It’s Google’s Online Only Sales Model?” Frisky stuff.

Stephen E Arnold, March 10, 2010

No one paid me to document these three items. Because I mention television, I think of Newton Minnow, so I will report this lack of payment to Fish & Wildlife. I wonder if Fish & Wildlife are responsible for “vast wastelands”?

It’s just so difficult for people to understand the complexity of the thing. They don’t have the background. They don’t have the time to do an investigation. They want to oversimplify a thing that can’t be oversimplified.

Who is the speaker? David E. Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Michigan and an engineer. The source? The Washington Post’s article “Frank Ahrens: Why It’s So Hard for Toyota to Find Out What’s Wrong.”

Germane to search, content processing, and taxonomy consistency (the next big train wreck for some folks)? Absolutely. When a tangible product with supporting software is tough to troubleshoot, what do you think about a hack-a-matic like many content management systems and some enterprise search systems.

Yep, the gurus are able to simplify. The details are irrelevant. Buzzwords do the “real” trick.

Stephen E Arnold, March 9, 2010

No one paid me to write this. But I did mention Toyota, so I suppose I have to report non payment to the Federal Highway Administration. I wonder why the roads in the US deteriorate more rapidly than the roads in France? Maybe it is the compound? Another troubleshooting job?

When I read the Cnet write up about a post I saw last week, I thought, “CBS’s real journalists are now thinking about themselves in a meta-way.” Navigate to “Has Business Press Lost Touch with the Tech Industry?” CBS is a real company and it does real news. Cnet is a real news outfit, if I understand set theory. The point is that an azure chip outfit called ITDatabase figured out that the real journalists are writing about topics that are popular. I think this is using humans the way Google uses popularity algorithms. I am sure the “real” journalists would disagree. That’s okay.

For me, the most interesting passage in the write up in Cnet was:

Enterprise IT is woefully underrepresented, despite being the cash-cow in the industry. “In the overall editorial agenda,” the report says, “enterprise IT is treated like consumer tech’s snaggletoothed twin. It barely even makes the family photo.”

Let’s think about this statement.

First, publicly traded companies are covered with a bit of fancy geometry by the investment analysts tracking these companies. The information is usually able to deliver a couple of nuggets. The reason is that most of the analysts talk to people * other than public relations * and * business development officers *. Most of the real journalists recycle familiar contacts, preferring to quote names the writer assumes the readers will recognize. So when the word “search” appears in a story the same handful of “experts’ get quoted. The result is that the stories really don’t change too much from article to article. Google is an advertising company. Bing is gaining share. Autonomy is the leader in enterprise search. The statements in the article are true because they are in the article. Tautology meets routine.

Second, figuring out what is going on in a technology field is tough for three reasons. [a] The jargon is impenetrable. A “real” journalist may not have the time to figure out what the words mean. Example: faceted search or taxonomy. [b] The sources are often running the game plan. Take a look at the comments by tech leaders. There are buzzwords and a jab or two at a windmill. Not much substance because the focus is the sound bite. [c] A tech company sells products that a really complex. The wizards at the company cannot be trusted to answer a question because the wizard might point out that a specific feature is different from the function described by the marketing person. Guess who gets in trouble? The tech person so there folks are shuttled away from the lights and the cameras.

Third, I heard that publishing companies are getting rid of staff. The numbers quoted at a conference last week struck me as pretty high. The person pointed out that newspapers were shedding jobs at the rate of 1,000 per month. Wow. What will be left? What’s left, if this number is accurate, are people who have to write from news releases, contacts who are warm and familiar, and topics that are listed on Tweetmeme.

When the money goes away, algorithms will do this work and, of course, folks with time on their hands like this addled goose. Just my opinion.

Stephen E Arnold, March 9, 2010

No one paid me to write about how I write this blog. Wait. If I buy myself lunch this afternoon, I will be getting paid. I will report the write-for-food angle to the FCC.

For three years now, Google and Viacom have exchanged hundreds of thousands of pages of deposition transcripts, e-mails, and other data during a lengthy discovery process. Most of the information has been kept under seal, thanks to a protective order, which was negotiated and agreed to by both sides. Now, Viacom wants to unseal all but the most sensitive of trade secrets within two weeks and Google wants to wait until June 4. Google says it would be a “logistical nightmare” to release information piecemeal before the sides finish arguing their cases.  Courts typically prefer to keep records open to the public, but there are exceptions, most often in criminal or civil cases involving national security. In civil suits, some material can be kept under seal in order to protect trade secrets. What’s not clear is why the material in the Viacom vs. Google case is under seal.

My take on this is that the depositions include information that will provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of Google’s digital fingerprints and other interesting aspects of the matter. My hunch is that if these materials become available, a number of useful nuggets will emerge.

Stephen E Arnold, March 9, 2010

No one paid me to write this news item. Since I mention a legal matter, I will report non payment to the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.