Demographics and an Another Daunting Challenge for Search
May 22, 2013
I read “Pew: 94% Of Teenagers Use Facebook, Have 425 Facebook Friends, But Twitter & Instagram Adoption Way Up.” The main point is that Facebook has what I would call a monopolistic position when it comes to teens and their friends. I am not sure Facebook is the home run play in places like rural Chile, but where there is money, infrastructure, and gizmos, Facebook is on top.
The point which struck me is, “What happens when an outfit is on top?” Revenue accrues and so does attention.
The research which the write up summarizes contains an interesting factoid or two. For example, teens are, if the data are correct, are shifting from online services which use words to online services which use pictures. (Will video be far behind?) Here’s the passage I noted:
Twitter and Instagram are far behind Facebook, but both have made impressive gains. Twitter was used by only 12% of teens in 2011 but more than doubled that to 26% in 2012. with usage of 26% and 11%. Instagram doesn’t appear to have been measured in 2011, so surveyed growth can’t be determined. But it comes in with an impressive third place at 11%.
Several observations are warranted.
First, search is somewhat of a disappointment when one tries to locate specific information in text form. Last night at dinner, a prominent New York attorney said, “It may just be me but I am having more difficulty finding exactly what I am looking for.” The comment bedevils quite a few people. I suggested that the prominent attorney hire a legal researcher. The prominent attorney replied, “I suppose I will have to.” Lesson: Finding information is getting more difficult, not easier. Keep in mind that the problem exists for words. Search is a challenge for some folks, and vendors have been trying to crack the code for 40, maybe 50 years.
Second, what information is embedded in digital images? What “metamessages” are teens sending when a snapshot is launched into the Twitter or Instagram world? More important, what search system is needed to locate and figure out the information in an image? My view is that geocoding and personal information may offer some important clues. But do we have a search system for these content repositories which works for the hapless attorney, a marketer, or a person looking for information about a runaway teen? In my view, not yet, and not by a long shot.
Third, is the shift from text to images by the teen demographic in the study sample a signal that text is losing its usefulness or relevance? The notion that those entering the workforce in a few years wedded to Tweets and snapshots may be an important cultural shift in some parts of the developed world.
The big question remains, “How will one find information to answer a question?” Text search is a problem. The brave new world hinted at in the Pew study poses more findability challenges. I am not sure the current crop of search and content processing challenges can resolve the problem to my satisfaction. The marketers will assert the opposite. The reality is that findability will remain a central problem for the foreseeable future.
Search is most easily resolved by ignoring its problems or reducing the problem to predictive algorithms in a “mother knows best” approach to information. That may work for some, but not everyone.
Stephen E Arnold, May 21, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
Demographics and an Another Daunting Challenge for Search
May 22, 2013
I read “Pew: 94% Of Teenagers Use Facebook, Have 425 Facebook Friends, But Twitter & Instagram Adoption Way Up.” The main point is that Facebook has what I would call a monopolistic position when it comes to teens and their friends. I am not sure Facebook is the home run play in places like rural Chile, but where there is money, infrastructure, and gizmos, Facebook is on top.
The point which struck me is, “What happens when an outfit is on top?” Revenue accrues and so does attention.
The research which the write up summarizes contains an interesting factoid or two. For example, teens are, if the data are correct, are shifting from online services which use words to online services which use pictures. (Will video be far behind?) Here’s the passage I noted:
Twitter and Instagram are far behind Facebook, but both have made impressive gains. Twitter was used by only 12% of teens in 2011 but more than doubled that to 26% in 2012. with usage of 26% and 11%. Instagram doesn’t appear to have been measured in 2011, so surveyed growth can’t be determined. But it comes in with an impressive third place at 11%.
Several observations are warranted.
First, search is somewhat of a disappointment when one tries to locate specific information in text form. Last night at dinner, a prominent New York attorney said, “It may just be me but I am having more difficulty finding exactly what I am looking for.” The comment bedevils quite a few people. I suggested that the prominent attorney hire a legal researcher. The prominent attorney replied, “I suppose I will have to.” Lesson: Finding information is getting more difficult, not easier. Keep in mind that the problem exists for words. Search is a challenge for some folks, and vendors have been trying to crack the code for 40, maybe 50 years.
Second, what information is embedded in digital images? What “metamessages” are teens sending when a snapshot is launched into the Twitter or Instagram world? More important, what search system is needed to locate and figure out the information in an image? My view is that geocoding and personal information may offer some important clues. But do we have a search system for these content repositories which works for the hapless attorney, a marketer, or a person looking for information about a runaway teen? In my view, not yet, and not by a long shot.
Third, is the shift from text to images by the teen demographic in the study sample a signal that text is losing its usefulness or relevance? The notion that those entering the workforce in a few years wedded to Tweets and snapshots may be an important cultural shift in some parts of the developed world.
The big question remains, “How will one find information to answer a question?” Text search is a problem. The brave new world hinted at in the Pew study poses more findability challenges. I am not sure the current crop of search and content processing challenges can resolve the problem to my satisfaction. The marketers will assert the opposite. The reality is that findability will remain a central problem for the foreseeable future.
Search is most easily resolved by ignoring its problems or reducing the problem to predictive algorithms in a “mother knows best” approach to information. That may work for some, but not everyone.
Stephen E Arnold, May 21, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
What Everyone Wants to Know: Who is the Average Facebook User?
May 15, 2013
To many users, Facebook may be seen as simply a social networking site with the occasionally annoying targeted ads. However, the marketing and advertising potential is nothing short of fulfilled. The Daily Dot offers a look at the results of mathematician Stephen Wolfram’s Personal Analytics for Facebook — an important step in the direction of the actualization of marketing potential. We were not surprised to see that “This is the Average Facebook User’s Life According to Big Data” seems at least a little creepy.
Wolfram found that people have, on average, about 342 Facebook friends. This number peaks for people in their late teenage years and then declines. What we found most interesting is that Wolfram compared his data on relationship statuses with those collected by the United States census and the two datasets were almost identical.
The article shares more on how and why this information was collected:
“Wolfram gathered this data from more than one million Facebook subscribers who signed up for Wolfram Alpha Personal Analytics for Facebook, a tool that takes a person’s facts on the social network to create personalized reports. He then parsed this information to create a series of very revelatory graphs. ‘I’ve always been interested in people and the trajectories of their lives,’ Wolfram writes. ‘But I’ve never been able to combine that with my interest in science. Until now.’”
Marketers and Facebook users alike are intrigued by what the characteristics the average Facebook user has. It comes at little surprise that people voluntarily signed up to participate and that the interest to collect this kind of information has materialized.
Megan Feil, May 15, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Facebook Loses Social Media Traction
May 12, 2013
It still remains that if you are not on Facebook you might as well not have a digital identity, but according to Yahoo Finance, “Facebook Is Losing Millions Of Users In The Us And Other Mature Markets.” Facebook has been preparing to inform its investors on performance in the US, UK, and other major European countries and the data shows that users have peaked for these areas, despite a 36% revenue gain on last year. In the last six months alone, Facebook has lost 9 million US visitors and 2 million in the UK.
“’The problem is that, in the US and UK, most people who want to sign up for Facebook have already done it,’ said new media specialist Ian Maude at Enders Analysis. ‘There is a boredom factor where people like to try something new. Is Facebook going to go the way of MySpace? The risk is relatively small, but that is not to say it isn’t there.”’
As the newness wears off, many users are turning to alternative networks like Instagram, Path, Pininterst, StumbleUpon, etc. Americans may be keeping their Facebook accounts, but they are spending less and less time on the Web site. This has been linked to the growing usage of tablets and smartphones. Mobile is almost a quarter of Facebook’s advertising income in 2012 and there is a steady stream of continued mobile usage. To maintain its relevancy, Mark Zuckerberg is digging for new initiatives. MySpace and Livejournal tried the same thing. Does Facebook have the capacity to outlive the zeitgeist? For a little while anyway.
Whitney Grace, May 12, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Messaging Apps Encroach on Facebook Turf
April 11, 2013
Shifting communication habits strike again. Yahoo News declares, “Youth Flock to Mobile Messaging Apps, May Be Threat to Facebook.” There are now a number of apps (like Kik and Whatsapp) that facilitate messaging and sharing faster and easier than by going through Facebook on a smartphone. Not surprisingly, these have become popular with the youth demographic. How does one search in a meaningful way these types of content objects? Answer: With a great deal of effort.
Writers Gerry Shih and Alexei Oreskovic concede that most users of these apps aren’t going to close out their Facebook accounts anytime soon, and that the social giant is well-positioned to weather threats. Still, these challengers could see noteworthy success, especially as they encroach on the networking-platform territory. The article tells us:
“While established social networks move to incorporate messaging features, the new-wave messaging apps are looking to grow into social networking platforms that support a variety of features and enable innovations from outside developers.
“‘The tried and true approach for a social network is first you build a network, then you build apps on your own, then you open it up to third party developers,’ said Charles Hudson, a partner at early stage venture capital firm SoftTech VC.
“The moves mirror Facebook’s younger days, when its user growth and revenues were boosted by game publishers like Zynga Inc, which made popular games like FarmVille for the Facebook platform.”
Ah, but when Zuckerberg began, he was building something completely new. Can these contenders serve up something as unique before the giant can pivot?
See the article for more analysis of the issue. The writers conclude with their prediction: that Facebook and the other “established” players (Google+? LinkedIn?) will solve the problem by simply gobbling up the young app companies. That would indeed solve the problem.
Cynthia Murrell, April 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Augmentext Expands Social Functions
April 10, 2013
Short honk. In response to client requests, ArnoldIT’s Augmentext service has added a new line up of social media services. These range from third-party comments to posting images and original articles. For more information, navigate to Augmentext Social. To get a free price quote, write seaky2000 at yahoo.com.
Stephen E Arnold, April 10, 2013
Facebook Not Planning On Launching External Search
March 19, 2013
Despite numerous rumors and requests pleading for the contrary, it appears Facebook will not be pursuing external search. The intentions are laid out in the article on Search Engine Land titled “Facebook: No Plans For An External Search Engine.”
The article reveals comments from Grady Burnett, Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions for Facebook, who stated that the social media giant has no plans or intentions to launch an external search engine, such as that run by Google or Bing.
The article includes an excerpt from the live blog coverage of the SMX West keynote address from Burnett:
“DS: Do you ever see Facebook wanting a dedicated search product outside of Facebook? Mentions the past rumors that Facebook might buy Bing from MSFT.
GB: I don’t see that happening. We called it ‘Graph Search’ because we’re focused on letting people search the Facebook graph. So my answer would be no.”
The James Bond Film “Never Say Never” comes to mind when we hear these kinds of statements. We think that given some time, this is not the last we will hear from Facebook on this topic. As the company explores the possibilities of graph search, the improved search capabilities discovered in the process could just be the nudge that is needed to jump into external search.
Andrea Hayden, March 19, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Dissing Facebook Search: The Cold Water Approach
March 1, 2013
I read “Facebook Gives Examples to Jumpstart Usage of Graph Search, Which It May Have Spent Too Long Building.” The main point is that Facebook fiddled and Rome burned. Now, Rome has to be rebuilt on property another empire owns.
Poor Facebook. The company muffed its IPO. Then Facebook cratered with Timeline. Now all those Xooglers have crafted a search which has to be “jumpstarted” like my first automobile, a 1955 Oldsmobile with no passenger side door.
Here’s the part of the analysis I found interesting:
Are any of those things you’d search for regularly, if ever? Maybe you’d take the occasional sweep through nostalgic content, look at recommendations for a vacation, or go hunting for new distractions. However, there’s little chance you’ll spend nearly as much time Graph Searching as browsing the daily refresh of status updates and photos from your close friends. That’s a little worrisome, especially since it follows a trend. In September 2011, Facebook’s big launch was Timeline. Beautiful, sure. But how often do you dive years back into your profile, or those of friends? Facebook poured tons of resources into the ability to call up historic content. For what? When I visit most people’s profiles, I look at their recent photos, last few posts, and About section. All of these were handled just fine by the old version of the profile. Adding cover images may have been sufficient.
Yep, worrisome for a free service in beta too. And who is pronouncing Facebook search a dead Oldsmobile?
My thoughts:
- Facebook cannot emulate Google’s brute force search. Google is eating some hefty costs, and Facebook wants to avoid a 1996 style financial black hole.
- Facebook knows ads and search are hooked. The Xooglers have explained why head to head ad fights with Google is not such a good idea. Therefore, the Facebook folks are looking for an angle. Notice I did not say, “Found.”
- Facebook has a thinner tightrope to walk than Google. Facebook can do many things with its content and metadata. Figuring out what combination will yield the most money and the fewest hassles will take time.
Skip the criticism. Track the deltas. Facebook may fail. So what? The journey is a free education for those not innovating.
Stephen E Arnold, February 28, 2013
Facebook Graph Search Has Enterprise Implications
February 28, 2013
Facebook Graph Search has been making headlines. However, most of these headlines are in response to the fact that this has been too long in coming. Facebook finally has search. Now that the shock is over, experts are turning to analysis of how the search function works and how it may benefit individuals and organizations. Jamie Yap does just that in her ZDNet article, “Graph Search Capabilities Offer Enterprise Benefits.”
After an introduction to the search service and how it works, the author continues:
“Commenting on the new feature, Jake Wengroff, social technologies analyst at Gleanster, an analyst firm, said Facebook is essentially injecting natural language processing functionality to its search algorithm so results can be delivered more intuitively and naturally. The underlying concept of graph search has potential in the enterprise setting. This functionality has a strong opportunity in the enterprise space and will ‘galvanize’ the social software industry to develop similar search capabilities for various purposes, Wengroff added.”
Some are even predicting that Graph Search could fill in the gaps left by customer relationship management solutions. Marketing is another definite application for this type of search solution. For those who are in the market for a more traditional enterprise search application, LucidWorks cannot be beat. Perfect for making sense of Big Data or making sense of internal documents, LucidWorks stands on its trusted name and the Lucene/Solr open source community.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 28, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Facebook Imagines A Whole New Way To Search
February 19, 2013
According to “How Facebook Made Me Search In Strange New Ways” from Search Engine Land, Facebook Graph Search has changed the way people search or at least wants to. Before social networking, people used to actively search with search engines because an action influenced them. With social networking, people are passively discovering information that they never knew they wanted to know all due to network connections.
Graph Search will not replace Google, because it does not search the entire Web. It only contains social information, in other words a social search:
““Social search is a means of uncovering information, to fill a knowledge gap taking into account crowd sourced information from your network, which contains information from a reputable source within your network, giving more of a credible touch to the content.”
Graph Search does not have all of this, but with some improvements it can. It can get better by adding general searching, i.e. only search through Facebook while Bing picks up the regular Web and the social network. The image search can use tweaking by searching tags and captions. Also the Facebook auto complete feature is annoying and is down right wrong sometimes.
Graph Search is not grasping the basic search engine fundamentals and needs to add them to even think about being competitive. The “graph” will probably be the next wave in social networking, so it is necessary to get on it.
Whitney Grace, February 19, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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