Internet Search Company Execs Disagree on Future Search Technology
Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the 4-people-with-5-opinions dept.
Techie writes A panel of search engine executives at the Supernova 2006 conference in San Francisco agreed that there is still much that can be done to enhance the user's search experience, but seemed unable to agree on much else.
Agree?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
Can we agree to have search results show less garbage?
Yah yah, one man's garbage is another's treasure...:)
searching is already good, content, "maybe"
by
yagu
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Warning, jargon-speak: From the article:
The biggest challenge is how the industry and the
providers take search "beyond the box and provide you with a
'delight experience.' That is the future and where we are trying
to go," Sifry said.
I get goosebumps, but not of delight when I hear executives
talking about "delight experience". Maybe his heart is in the
right place but language like that is fingernails on my
chalkboard.
Interesting to me, I think internet search has matured nicely
and my overall experience is high on the satisfaction scale. I
rely heavily on Google and use Ask occasionally and virtually
always find links and information germaine to my keywords. I
think more important than refining searches is maturing content.
As often as not, I get to the links I expected to find from
search only to find poorly implemented sites that offer no value
to my quest. Mostly my experiences of internet-search
deficiencies occur at the endpoint (the found links), not the
transport (the search engines).
Only moments ago I had just one such episode. I recently
moved back to Illinois and am in the process of getting my legal
stuff in order, in this case vehicle registration, license
plates, and drivers license.
I easily found the Illinois web sites, but
that has done little to move me further in the task at hand. The
DOV Illinois sites are confusing, convoluted, obfuscated, and
have been little help in understanding exactly all I must do to
complete my responsibilities. Thankfully the most important
piece of information is included on their site,
the dreaded toll free phone number to call. Sigh.
(In the article Sifry did hit on something I'd like in
internet searching, though he tied it to mobile devices
The notion of "location" would be nice. I would point out that
Google does a pretty good job of wiring location into their
search simply by prefixing any search with a zip code (sorry
non-USAers)... and the resulting search will preamble the results
with some zip code specific results.)
(I still have no inclination to want or need mobile
presentation and ergonomics... while it will always be nice to
get some info on a mobile device I am always close enough and not
desparate enough to get to some land-based internet access.
Besides, when you desperately do need mobile
access to information, you're unlikely to get it! Don't even get
me started on my cross country Verizon debacle, and complete
radio-cell silence from Billings Montana to past Mitchell, SD!)
So for me, bottom line,
internet searching: already good and getting better, internet
content: not so good and seemingly slow to improve. The biggest
return on investment would seem to be better content everywhere
but that would also be a huge distributed (and nigh impossible)
effort.
Well, if there's one thing I'd wish for...
by
TheNoxx
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
It'd be an option to search for only legitimate websites that are on topic with my search and filter out bullshit entries trying to make a quick buck from ads with no real content; perhaps something that uses a wiki or other list, if only a bit more controlled and less freely-edited, combined with clicks out and recommendations. Similarly, an option to filter out forum posts and the like wouldn't be amiss either.
-- Ex nihilo nihil fit.
The future is spam
by
MikeRT
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Unless these companies get the ability to sue the "SEO companies" and others that spam them, they will just get cluttered to the point that nothing short of SkyNet will be able to be useful.
Technorati? Ask.com? Idee? Jookster? That is not much representation for an expert panel. No offense, but I prefer to know what is stirring around in Larry's and Sergey's little noggins. At least throw in a lackey from one of the top three engines.
Independent Engines
by
Doc+Ruby
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Disagreement among competitors is good: that's competition. Worry when they all agree: that's a cartel.
Slashdot Mirror
Can we agree to have search results show less garbage?
:)
Yah yah, one man's garbage is another's treasure...
Warning, jargon-speak: From the article:
I get goosebumps, but not of delight when I hear executives talking about "delight experience". Maybe his heart is in the right place but language like that is fingernails on my chalkboard.Interesting to me, I think internet search has matured nicely and my overall experience is high on the satisfaction scale. I rely heavily on Google and use Ask occasionally and virtually always find links and information germaine to my keywords. I think more important than refining searches is maturing content.
As often as not, I get to the links I expected to find from search only to find poorly implemented sites that offer no value to my quest. Mostly my experiences of internet-search deficiencies occur at the endpoint (the found links), not the transport (the search engines).
Only moments ago I had just one such episode. I recently moved back to Illinois and am in the process of getting my legal stuff in order, in this case vehicle registration, license plates, and drivers license.
I easily found the Illinois web sites, but that has done little to move me further in the task at hand. The DOV Illinois sites are confusing, convoluted, obfuscated, and have been little help in understanding exactly all I must do to complete my responsibilities. Thankfully the most important piece of information is included on their site, the dreaded toll free phone number to call. Sigh.
(In the article Sifry did hit on something I'd like in internet searching, though he tied it to mobile devices The notion of "location" would be nice. I would point out that Google does a pretty good job of wiring location into their search simply by prefixing any search with a zip code (sorry non-USAers)... and the resulting search will preamble the results with some zip code specific results.) (I still have no inclination to want or need mobile presentation and ergonomics... while it will always be nice to get some info on a mobile device I am always close enough and not desparate enough to get to some land-based internet access. Besides, when you desperately do need mobile access to information, you're unlikely to get it! Don't even get me started on my cross country Verizon debacle, and complete radio-cell silence from Billings Montana to past Mitchell, SD!)
So for me, bottom line, internet searching: already good and getting better, internet content: not so good and seemingly slow to improve. The biggest return on investment would seem to be better content everywhere but that would also be a huge distributed (and nigh impossible) effort.
It'd be an option to search for only legitimate websites that are on topic with my search and filter out bullshit entries trying to make a quick buck from ads with no real content; perhaps something that uses a wiki or other list, if only a bit more controlled and less freely-edited, combined with clicks out and recommendations. Similarly, an option to filter out forum posts and the like wouldn't be amiss either.
Ex nihilo nihil fit.
Unless these companies get the ability to sue the "SEO companies" and others that spam them, they will just get cluttered to the point that nothing short of SkyNet will be able to be useful.
"A panel of search engine executives"
Technorati? Ask.com? Idee? Jookster? That is not much representation for an expert panel. No offense, but I prefer to know what is stirring around in Larry's and Sergey's little noggins. At least throw in a lackey from one of the top three engines.
Disagreement among competitors is good: that's competition.
Worry when they all agree: that's a cartel.
--
make install -not war
Google this: search engine + problems + solutions
My sig sags.