Is Real News Lost in Fluff and Puff?
September 22, 2011
Paul Carr rants on Tech Crunch on the increasing lack of professional, well-written content on the internet, triggered by the firing of Jack Shafer, media critic and editor-at-large, from Slate, the Washington Post’s online magazine.
The article, Now Can We All Agree That The “High Quality Web Content” Experiment Has Failed?, goes on to explain how this last straw is proof that professional journalism on the web is dead or dying. Either way, the future of thought-provoking writing will not be found online. The trigger for the write up was the information about Slate’s ability to generate revenue from high quality content. Two words, No dice.
Newspapers and magazines, with their subscription numbers plummeting, ran to the internet in an effort to reclaim some of their precious readers and accompanying advertising dollars. Unfortunately, the internet is awash with news and it seems that readers don’t appreciate high-quality writing like they used to. With online advertising constantly eating away at quality in an attempt to beef up ad sales, the online article is losing value at an alarming rate.
So what is a respected, knowledgeable news source to do? Carr explains:
Increasingly the best writing and reporting is to be found in books and Kindle Singles, where readers are happy to pay directly for high-quality information and entertainment. As Web content continues to get dumber, and more ethically compromised, the market for high quality content away from the web will continue to grow.
Carr might be right about the growing market of for-fee news, but always the optimist, I believe there is still hope for legitimate reporting on the internet. Much like journalism has had to adapt several times before the most recent techno-revolution. CNN paid $20 million for a eBook app.The allure of advertising wrapped in a dressing of free fluff calling itself news may satisfy the general Internet audience for now. Wait a few years, and I think that those interested in facts instead of Lady Gaga’s antics may be unable to discern fact from fiction, invention from reality. Yes, a brave new world may be under construction as I write this short item. Fluff and puff seem to have the upper hand at the moment.
Catherine Lamsfuss, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Daily Deals Losing Their Luster
September 22, 2011
Here in Harrod’s Creek we experience deal fatigue. In addition to the Groupon and LivingSocial inducements, we have DealChicken. DealChicken is a local deal service operated for the Gannett Courier-Journal, a decidedly second rate daily news paper. If you are not familiar with DealChicken, you can get more information at—you guessed it—www.dealchicken.com.
Daily deals Web sites such as Groupon have had a lot of publicity lately. I noticed some chatter that Groupon was experiencing some cost inflation and customer push back. However, two large competitors have contrasting ideas about the future of the daily deals business. Facebook has recently pulled its Deals app, yet Amazon moves forward.
According to Lifehacker’s article, “Amazon Daily Deals Extend to eBooks” as well as CNET’s article, “AmazonLocal Deals in New York City,” Amazon has a few different tactics. AmazonLocal will be taking its deals to major US cities and Amazon will be offering a daily deal for Kindle users. We learn in the CNET article:
AmazonLocal, the online retail giant’s Groupon knockoff, is bringing its deals to the Big Apple and several other cities. According to The New York Times, the daily deals from Amazon will begin tomorrow in Manhattan and Brooklyn…The Associated Press is reporting that AmazonLocal will be operating in 30 locations in 10 states by early September [2011].
Were it not for Facebook’s withdrawal from the daily deals trend after only four months on the market, I would be convinced this was an idea with staying power. Is this a sign of deal overload or coupon fatigue? Searching for deals is a hassle in my opinion. Are consumers finding deals an annoyance? Are some businesses learning that deals can be expensive exercises in learning that few deal takers become regulars?
Searching for deals is a problem. Aggregators like Alltop provide a “dashboard” page of deals, but the entire experience of locating a coupon, a code, or a specific deal can be time consuming and frustrating. Digital deals rolling down the marketing assembly line seem to be losing their luster.
Andrea Hayden, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Search Is a Major Project: Does Doom Await?
September 22, 2011
Datamation ran a long article called “Why Major IT Projects are More Likely to Fail Than Any Others” informs us of a study published by Oxford University which found that major IT projects are twenty times more likely to fail than other IT projects. On average, these larger projects ran 27 percent over-budget and took 55 percent longer to complete than originally planned. One in six eventually spiral out of control.
According to Silicon.com’s article, “Five ways to stop your IT projects spiralling out of control and overbudget” describes why this is the case and details tips for controlling projects. The article states:
The risk of tech projects going rogue is down to IT being harder to manage than other business disciplines, according to Bent Flyvbjerg, BT professor and founding chair of major program management at Oxford University. ‘Our theory is this is because IT projects are less tangible, they are also more complex,’ he told silicon.com.
Is it possible that a main culprit behind this phenomenal statistic is complexity? Are information technology companies attempting to develop elaborate plans for the newest and the best and aiming too high? I think it’s very likely. Perhaps if developers could simplify their ideas and end the game of out-performing each other, we could easily have more IT projects completed.
Search deployments often become expensive headaches, but it may not just be the peculiarities of search or search vendors, integrators, or staff. The problem may reside in the fact that the complexity of the undertaking is overlooked, ignored, or not understood. Too bad. Some search vendors take the blame for a problem created by a business process, not technology.
When I spoke with Stephen E Arnold, publisher of Beyond Search, he told me:
Software and systems are complex. The environments into which engineers insert these things is complex. Complexity adds to complexity. Costs sky rocket and systems don’t work particularly well. Vendors often take the blame for problems caused by casual, uninformed, or inappropriate business processes used to scope a project and spell out requirements. Search falls victim to these issues just like enterprise resource planning, accounting, and document management systems.
Quite a challenge for those responsible for a large scale project awaits it seems.
Andrea Hayden, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Oracle Java License
September 22, 2011
One of the goslings said, “No big deal.” Another ArnoldIT researcher said, “Big deal.” I am frankly uncertain. The cause for the bifurcation was “Oracle Retires License for Distributing Its Java with Linux.” The article reported that the
reasons for Oracle’s decision on his blog. Topic said that the need for Oracle’s Java implementation has steadily decreased since the release of the OpenJDK 6, adding that the OpenJDK is proven and mature and is the chosen package of most Linux distributors. The current version is OpenJDK 7, which is serving as the basis for Oracle’s own JDK 7 releases.
At first glance, the “no big deal” input seems on the money. However, with the copyright and intellectual property edges in the Oracle Google legal matter, minor actions may have larger consequences.
The notion of a toll road on which Google Android devices travel is an interesting approach to monetization. Until more clarity emerges from the on-going litigation between Oracle and Google, I just want to note the shift in direction within the open source environment.
Stephen E Arnold, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Can You Manage Email with SharePoint?
September 21, 2011
Microsoft’s architecture makes use of function-specific servers. There are servers for SharePoint, SQL Server, customer relationship management, accounting, and so on. Large Microsoft-centric deployments use multiple specialized Microsoft servers. Smaller firms may use SharePoint and a special-purpose server such as Microsoft Windows Small Business Server http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/windows-small-business-server/default.aspx. Microsoft certified professionals advise and implement best practices for handling performance and scaling. Search Technologies provides advisory and engineering services to organizations wanting to optimize enterprise search systems such as Microsoft Fast Search Server as well as other vendors’ search solutions.
I read an article in CMSWire which presented an idea I had not previously considered. The author of “Case Study: SharePoint as an E-mail Management System” http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/case-study-sharepoint-as-an-email-management-solution-012308.php advanced an interesting approach to email.
Microsoft provides Exchange Server, robust clients, and a number of methods to leverage email, which along with search is one of the most widely used online applications. The method disclosed in the article gives a SharePoint user access to a user friendly way to have email appear in search results. The article asserts that most e-mail is archived in digital storage while leaving a stub in Outlook.
The solution referenced in the article suggested writing a program that would interact with Outlook, but also tag the content with metadata to facilitate the profiling and retrieval program. The solution was implemented in the Handshake http://www.unitysystems.info/2009/08/10/the-handshake/ enterprise content management system.
My reaction to this approach is that the author solved a situation specific problem. However, such a solution introduces several potential warning lights. First, if a bug exists in the original program, one runs the risk of creating a situation which would be confusing to a user exists. A more serious issue could compromise the integrity of the email content itself. But the largest issue is that the write up did not discuss any security measures taken to verify that only authorized individuals would see or could know about the existence of emails on a specific topic.
The Search Technologies approach to unique client requirements such as the one described in the CMSWire article is to implement the rigorous information collection, project planning, and requirements statement. As part of that work, the Search Technologies’ team and the client discuss such key issues as features, performance, and security.
Armed with this work plan, Search Technologies then identifies the options for addressing the clients’ need. In many cases, we use Microsoft-developed or Microsoft-certified solutions. If original scripts or code is required, Search Technologies works tests the code prior to making it available to the client. After the client reviews the code, then Search Technologies implements the solution.
For integrating SharePoint content, Search Technologies would rely upon its proven methodology, tapping the experience of hundreds of content centric and search related projects to determine how to meet a client’s need. What reduces the cost of extending a SharePoint system is using proven engineering principles. A misstep increases costs and can compromise the client’s information. Search Technologies delivers value because it implements a system and method that delivers results in a cost effective manner. Search Technologies focuses on working through an issue, not working around one.
Iain Fletcher, September 21, 2011
Decide: Another Predictive Play
September 21, 2011
Purchasing big ticket items, specifically technology, is always a challenge. The price, trends, and efficiency of products varies greatly depending on the timing of your purchase.
New startup Decide is focused on helping consumers decide when to purchase items based on intelligent predictions monitored by price trends, rumors, news, and technical specifications. Technology Review’s article, “Algorithms Tell Consumers When to Buy Tech Products” discusses the process. We learn:
Etzioni (chief technology officer and cofounder of Decide) says the long-term impact of price prediction could be huge. It’s not just a question of when to buy a flashy new toy, he says. As companies become better at predicting prices and features for all types of devices, buying at the right time could help consumers own better-quality products across the board.
At what point do I end my search and let vendors predict what I need and when I need it? The company seems to have good intentions at saving me money, but I enjoy the independence I have while shopping and decision-making when to purchase items. I like to wait when new products come on the market to research reviews and see the price drop. I also like to think I am intelligent enough to complete this process on my own without waiting too long for the product to become outdated.
We have noticed a flurry of publicity about Dr. Etzioni, and we are forming the hypothesis that he may be in Decide marketing mode.
Andrea Hayden, September 21, 2011
sponsored by Pandia.com
Is XML Looking at JSON Tail Lights?
September 21, 2011
Extensible Markup Language has a long and distinguished lineage. Think CALS and SGML. We try to pay attention to XML centric search and content processing companies. Examples include the very quiet Dieselpoint and the repositioned Mark Logic Corp.
We have heard anecdotes about some disenchantment with XML, which has been stretched to perform a wide range of content acrobatics. Now it seems that some Twitter features will not support XML. Many older applications rely on XML support for functionality, but Twitter could likely force developers to make updates. In Programmable Web’s article, “Twitter API Ditches XML For Trends: New Features Are JSON-Only,” Twitter’s Jason Costa explained why Twitter is removing XM L:
As well as standardizing the trends URL we are also planning to switch the trends API to JSON only. The reason for this is because the use of XML on the trends API is significantly low and removing support would allow us to free up resources for other developments. Running down the data formats supported by Twitter’s various APIs, there is still plenty of XML support (as well as RSS and Atom), but some of the newer features are JSON-only.”
What’s JSON? The acronym means JavaScript Object Notation. According to JSON.org, it is:
a lightweight data-interchange format. It is easy for humans to read and write. It is easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language, Standard ECMA-262 3rd Edition – December 1999. JSON is a text format that is completely language independent but uses conventions that are familiar to programmers of the C-family of languages, including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and many others. These properties make JSON an ideal data-interchange language.
Will XML have a future at Twitter? Right now it appears that Twitter streaming is already JSON-only. This move by Twitter may presage an important shift in the Web from XML to JSON.
XML is a complex beastie and publishing companies have embraced XML because it makes slicing and dicing of content easier. But an investment is required to make XML deliver. Chopping out complexity may put pressure on vendors who emphasize the XML ingredients in their enterprise solutions.
If light weight JSON gains traction, some disruptions may be triggered in a forceful way.
Andrea Hayden, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PicsLikeThat Offers Image Similarity Search
September 21, 2011
Prototype image search system, PicsLikeThat, claims to offer an easier image search than competitors. The site was developed by René Corinth, David Crome, Leonhard Palm, Natalia Ukhanova and Patrick Wieczorek during a student project at HTW Berlin. The system combines a keyword search with a visual similarity search. The site explains:
Due to the visual sorting PicsLikeThat can show several hundred images allowing easy inspection. In most cases this is sufficient to get a good overview of the entire search result set. The user can quickly identify desired images, which are used to refine the result by retrieving visually and semantically similar images. By tracking user interaction, PicsLikeThat learns the semantic relationships of the images.
At first trial, the concept is ideal for stock images and basic image searches. However, since the current site is still a demo, there are limited pictures available (my searches for celebrities and logos typically turned up null.) Also, the images they provide are from fotolia, which must be purchased. Compared to Google and Bing image searches, which both have the option for related searches and searches by size and/or color, the site still has a long journey ahead. I applaud their efforts for attempting to discover the user’s intention and look forward to the growth of the site.
Andrea Hayden, September 21, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Tough to Search Dept: Court Records to Be Destroyed
September 21, 2011
The search of Federal court records may become even more difficult. Why? It’s tough to search something that doesn’t exist anymore. According to The Seattle Times’ article, “Millions of U.S. court records bound for shredder,” U.S. officials are destroying millions of court records to save money on storage. Supporters of the decision, including an analyst with the archives agency, claim that important documents will be kept digitally but it’s irrational to keep everything. Some of the files are simply mundane and insignificant. We learned:
Cornell Law School professor Theodore Eisenberg said it’s precisely the mundane, everyday records with no clear historical significance that are critical to establishing legal trends upon which court policy is often based. Something really important will be lost here,’ said Eisenberg…‘We would lose any ability to assess trends over time.’
The big question I have here – how are we to know which documents are going to be important in the future? As new people emerge in society, whether it be criminally or professionally, records that were once deemed insignificant wouldn’t be searchable to anyone. Is the cost the government will be saving in storage worth the price these documents could possibly have in the future?
Andrea Hayden, September 21, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: SharePoint and Product Lifecycle Management
September 21, 2011
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
