The Complete Total Bing Bar Makeover
January 8, 2013
Bing has prided itself on providing more eye candy for its users than the minimalist Google screen and logo. Bing has lately been updating its looks. First it was Snapshots, now the social bar has become more socially appealing. Search Engine Watch highlights the changes Bing made in “Bing Social Sidebar Gets a Makeover.” The hover cards and dark grey coloring have disappeared, giving way to the color white and a more uniformed look. There are two new headers that separate social media content from friends and general content on these Web sites.
Bing’s social search is also noted as digging way in the recesses of old posts. Users can see what their friends were saying in the past on Facebook or they could always turn to the Facebook year in review app. The search is also a good feature to use to find trending content on all social networks on specific topics.
Despite the updates, the author does not see the design lasting long:
“However, being perfectly honest, I can’t see this design staying for very long. It’s almost too many blue links now and with the more visual social sidebar winning the competition for attention, the ads are now too easy to miss – you can just skip over that middle block.”
What works now will change tomorrow. So is the fate of the Internet. The lack of ad prevalence on the page will really hurt Bing. As long as they do not redo the page to have a fifteen second ad before you can view your content, though, most people will be all right with the changes.
Whitney Grace, January 08, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Gets a Stricter Governance Tool
December 31, 2012
SharePoint is Microsoft’s glorified collaborative content management platform. It usually provides decent out-of-the-box solutions for managing projects and allowing users to work and share on content collectively, but sometimes it needs help from an IVP to make it better. Metavis is an add-on software solutions provider and according to Web Media 360 they have “Metavis Introduces New SharePoint Governance Enhancement Tool.”
The new governance tool is called Informant and is currently in its beta phase. It is supposed to help control the comings and goings of files outside of SharePoint. These actions hold a security risk for all enterprise-based companies:
“Metavis says it is the transfer of content beyond the confines of SharePoint which holds the gravest potential consequences in terms of undermining the integrity of an enterprise’s content management and security strategy. Such transfers, says Metavis, have become more frequent owing to the proliferation of file sharing platforms.”
Informant will help SharePoint users monitor and control transfers in their SharePoint environment as well as tagging, archiving, and placing permissions on files. Securing data is a big part of any information governance. Technology makes it so easy to steal information, but it also makes it easier to lock it down. Take precautions to monitor your data.
Whitney Grace, December 31, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Users Will Discover Built-in Search Is More Than Icing On Cake
December 13, 2012
After Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference, which took place over the summer in Toronto, more information has been released in regards to SharePoint 2013. In fact, Search Technologies has published an article on “Search For SharePoint” that includes the major bullet points of SharePoint 2013’s search functions and capabilities. The article follows the flow of documents, providing an idea of the process from crawling all the way to search functionality provided to users.
The driving force behind this latest version of SharePoint is the FAST search technology that Microsoft acquired back in 2008. Additions from Bing and other search companies have been added into the software in order to offer clients a comprehensive solution; that also means customization is available for companies with specific needs.
As for the process, once crawling – or capturing metadata – occurs, the content processing known as the indexing pipeline takes place:
“In SharePoint 2012, this resembles the FAST pipeline and looks to have retained important features. The content processing component also writes information to a “link database”. This information can be subsequently used by the analysis processing component to calculate link popularity statistics and provide relevancy weighting possibilities. Anchor text within links can also contribute to page content for ranking purposes.”
The analytics processing that happens next in the sequence of events allows for additional context to be woven into the indexing process. The final step after indexing lies in an often overlooked aspect of enterprise search: query processing. This component improves search with attention to precision, recall and relevancy.
Now that SharePoint 2013 includes a top-tier enterprise search infrastructure, competitors do not have as much room in the conversation on search. Companies are lining up to implement SharePoint everyday, and with that software in the bag they also get to discover the magic of FAST technologies. Search is not just the cherry on top for SharePoint, it encapsulates the entire sundae.
Megan Feil, December 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Microsoft Wows with Machine Speech Translation in Real Time
December 11, 2012
Once again, we are catching up to our science fiction. The Next Web informs us about a recent leap in the field of machine translation with, “Amazing: Microsoft Turns Spoken English into Spoken Mandarin—in the Same Voice.” The article includes a nine-minute video slice of a presentation by Microsoft’s Rick Rashid that is well worth the viewing time (though the exciting part really starts about half-way through.) The video begins with a brief recap of the history of machine transcription and machine translation. Writer Alex Wilhelm tells us:
“In the video, the speaker explains and demonstrates improvements made to the machine understanding of his English words, which are automatically transcribed as he speaks. He then demonstrates having those words translated directly into Mandarin – if it’s actually Cantonese I’ll punish myself – text.
“This is when the fun begins. Microsoft, he says, has taken in oodles of data, and can thus have that translated Mandarin spoken. And the final kicker: he has fed the system an hour’s worth of his voice, and thus the software will speak in Mandarin, using his own tones.”
I would like to point out here that, despite the write-up’s title, “his own tones” does not quite equate to “the same voice.” It is close, though. Rashid attributes the leap to the development of Deep Neural Networks, a technique patterned after human brain behavior by researchers at Microsoft Research and the University of Toronto. The shift is indeed very impressive, and makes a future where we can all understand each other seem closer to possible.
We would be remiss, however, if we failed to mention that Google can still claim some advantage in this realm. Its Google Translate has been shown to generate more accurate text translations than Bing Translator. (See here and here for comparisons.)
So, Google, when do you debut your instant speech translation software? We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Cynthia Murrell, December 11, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint 2013 Walk Through from Search Technologies
November 16, 2012
With the recent release of SharePoint 2013 to manufacturing clients as well as volume licensing customers, people are struggling to find information about the product to prepare for the transition.
New information is available about SharePoint 2013’s search capabilities in a recent blog post from Search Technologies. The post, “Search for SharePoint 2013,” provides a high-level summary and a functional walk-through of the capabilities, including crawling, content and analytics processing, and query processing.
The article also breaks down the main headlines about the release:
“The FAST search technology, acquired by Microsoft in 2008, is at the heart of SharePoint 2013
Technologies and ideas from Bing and elsewhere have been added to the mix to provide a comprehensive set of enterprise search capabilities, with plenty of room for customization
It includes a rules-based query parsing framework
Pricing has not yet been formally announced, but it is generally assumed that this search functionality will be a standard part of SharePoint 2013.”
We found the information on SharePoint which is available at this site to be informative and easy to digest. Browsing the blog brought up numerous other points of specialties in the IT services and search engine field of expertise. Other articles can be found at http://www.searchtechnologies.com/blog.html. We recommend adding this blog to your must-read list.
Andrea Hayden, November 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com
Increased Search Functionality Add-On from Sonoma is Released
October 13, 2012
A leading Microsoft partner has recently announced the release of a free add-on tool for Dynamics CRM that promises to provide enhanced search functionality and increased productivity for users. Sonoma Partners, a consultancy with enterprise mobility expertise, released Universal Search, according to the article “Sonoma Partners Releases Universal Search for Microsoft Dynamics CRM” on Yahoo News.
The add-on allows users to view search results from multiple entities with just a single search; a breakthrough, as users have previously been limited to only one entity per search. The article tells us about the development of the tool:
“‘We developed Universal Search to create a convenient way for Microsoft Dynamics CRM users to greatly streamline the experience of searching for records, even if they don’t know what type of record it is,’ said Mike Snyder, principal of Sonoma Partners. ‘With this free add-on, we hope to enable Dynamics CRM users to utilize their on-premise or online deployment to the fullest.’”
Universal Search also allows users the capability to configure which entities are searched, which attributes to search by, and what information to display. To check out the new product in action, steer your browser to the demo video on YouTube.
Andrea Hayden, October 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Training Videos: Useful but Often Not Enough
October 10, 2012
The long-awaited preview for SharePoint 2013 has arrived and SharePoint gurus are on their way to exploring the collaborative content management platform’s new potential. The new SharePoint does have new strange twists and turns that could confuse even the most experienced SharePoint developer, which is why we are so thankful for Web sites like Microsoft’s TechNet that provide official reference material. Recently, TechNet has launched a series of videos on “SharePoint 2013 Training for IT Pros:”
“Find IT pro-focused how-to training and walkthrough videos with this interactive course about SharePoint 2013 including changes and new features for search, social, plus deployment and performance/scalability.”
Each of the new videos is a training module that focuses on a different aspect of the new SharePoint 2013 deployment. There are a total of fourteen training modules and each has videos and presentations about new features and concepts. For example, Module 1 focuses on a basic overview of the 2013 version with key changes to the SharePoint 2013 Server and SharePoint Foundation 2013. All of the modules cover areas that IT professionals will have questions about, server farms, architecture, social features, customization options, upgrading from older versions, etc.
Module 7: SharePoint 2013 Enterprise Search Overview is the lesson that really caught our attention:
“Learn about the redesigned Enterprise Search in SharePoint 2013 including architectural changes to physical and logical topologies, details about configuration options for crawling, content, and query.”
In the past, SharePoint’s out-of-the-box search solution was not the best search application. The best way to make it work was to rely on ISVs with products designed to augment and enhance SharePoint search. Generally the third-party software was a vast improvement over Microsoft. The new SharePoint search makes the same promises to fix problems from past versions and upgrade it with better features. Module 7 promises to teach about:
“Learn about the redesigned Enterprise Search in SharePoint 2013 including architectural changes to physical and logical topologies, details about configuration options for crawling, content, and query.”
As SharePoint has moved from its old role solely as a collaborative content management platform to a more robust platform with more social features and Web tie-ins, there will be much more for the search engine to peruse.
However, in our experience, a training video is a useful adjunct to other types of professional support. For example, Comperio, a firm with deep experience in search and related activities, offers a range of services that can be tailored to meet the needs of an organization implementing SharePoint and SharePoint search. The company offers search consulting, development, application management services, and “consultants for hire.” To learn more about Comperio’s services which bridge the gap between an instructional video and hands-on implementation, we suggest you check out Comperio services at http://www.comperiosearch.com/services/.
Understanding how SharePoint 2013 has integrated a more powerful enterprise search is the first step to harnessing its new capabilities and empowering the user. Search is a key function that powers many other features on SharePoint. If users cannot find their data, then SharePoint 2013’s key purpose has been lost.
Stephen E Arnold, October 10, 2012
Google Yearns for Yahoo Partnership
October 4, 2012
There has been much talk in the tech community about Apple’s public diss of Google with the launch of its own map service and the subsequent neglect of the Google Maps feature the company had been using. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke about this change at a recent Nexus tablet launch, but perhaps made a more shocking statement about a coveted partnership. We learn in the Forbes article, “Eric Schmidt Says Google Would Love to Replace Microsoft as Yahoo!’s Search Partner,” that Google is very interested in replacing Microsoft’s Bing in a search engine partnership with Yahoo.
We learn in the article:
“Of course, Schmidt was involved in the discussions between Yahoo! and Google in late 2008 after the Microsoft buyout fell apart and before Carol Bartz approached Steve Ballmer to do a deal. Google and Yahoo strongly wanted a deal done, but the government said no. […] Several people who cover Yahoo have stated in very strong language that, although the search partnership with Microsoft has been a failure, there is no way that Yahoo could do an alternative deal with Google due to regulatory issues.”
With the marked drop of Yahoo’s search share, the situation is much different than it was in 2009 and reportedly Yahoo could end the deal with Microsoft as early as next year. We may learn more as the new Yahoo CEO (and former Google exec, to boot,) Marissa Mayer preps her presentation on her plans for innovating search at Yahoo. We are left to ponder until then if a deal with the Goog is in the mix.
Andrea Hayden, October 04, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Comperio FRONT: Business Logic for Enterprise Search
October 2, 2012
There are many enterprise search systems. Some are available without charge; others can push beyond seven figures. Many professionals working in an organization want systems to provide information needed in the context of work. Laundry lists of hits from a key word query were a significant advance over manual inspection of documents in file folders in file cabinets.
In order to deliver information within the context of a business task, logic is needed. Many search systems provide laundry lists or categories of possible relevant documents. Without business logic, an enterprise search system can frustrate some professionals.
FRONT is available for Dot Net and Java. FRONT is compatible with SP 2013.
Comperio, a company with the motto “Search matters,” offers FRONT. According to the firm:
Comperio FRONT is the proven business logic software for state of the art search solutions. Comperio FRONT blends perfectly with your enterprise search platform to deliver quickly, with quality and top features.
The software is an outgrowth from more than eight years of experience with enterprise search and more than 100 search projects. Comperio has encapsulated that expertise into the FRONT framework.
In a nutshell, says, Jørn Ellefsen, CEO and Founder of Comperio:
Our deep experience has lead to the creation of Comperio FRONT framework, which allows search solutions to be built more quickly and with improved quality and features.
KMWorld Magazine named FRONT a trend-setting product for 2012. This is the second time that Comperio FRONT has received this recognition from KMWorld. FRONT is now a crucial part of more than 200 enterprise search solutions.
Comperio FRONT is a major source of satisfaction amongst our customers. It is a product that blends seamlessly with existing investments in search engines and end-user applications. The search middleware, or orchestration layer, leverages best practices gained from hundreds of search projects and possesses business logic visualized in graphical workflows. Whether it’s for developing a search solution as a business productivity solution or as a line of business application, Front allows our customers to benefit from faster time to market with higher quality. The flexible nature of the FRONT framework helps companies react quickly to new business opportunities and likewise to the availability of new technology. This award recognizes Comperio’s investment in, and commitment to, delivering world-class search solutions that will stand the test of time.
For more information about Comperio Front, navigate to http://goo.gl/umaO7.
Stephen E Arnold, October 2, 2012. Mr. Arnold is a paid columnist for KMWorld Magazine.
Sponsored by Augmentext
Bing vs Google Taste Test
September 20, 2012
Like a Coke versus Pepsi taste test in a 1980s mall, Microsoft has set up Bing It On, a Bing versus Google blind comparison Web site. The first time through, I chose Bing’s results over Google’s twice out of five times, and rated the engines as tied the other three. I experienced no Googley advantages at all. But then, I tried it a second time. Google three, Bing one, a draw once. I guess it depends on what you’re searching for.
In its blog post, “People Chose Bing Web Search Results Over Google Nearly 2:1 in Blind Comparison Tests—Really?” Bing explains that they launched the comparison site in response to its own surprisingly favorable test results. They also say that, in a blind test performed by independent research company Answers Research, which used a representative online sample of almost 1,000 people 18 and up from across the US, Bing outperformed Google two to one. (Survey takers were not told Microsoft was involved in the study.) The write up’s description of that test is very close to what you’ll see at Bing It On:
“In the test, participants were shown the main web search results pane of both Bing and Google for 10 search queries of their choice. Bing and Google search results were shown side-by-side on one page for easy comparison – with all branding removed from both search engines. The test did not include ads or content in other parts of the page such as Bing’s Snapshot and Social Search panes and Google’s Knowledge Graph. For each search, the participant was asked which search engine provided the best results – ‘Left side search engine’, ‘Right side search engine’, or ‘Draw.’ After each participant performed 10 searches, their votes were totaled to determine the winner (Bing, Google or Draw, in the case of a tie).”
The overall sampling error rate was plus or minus 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. They say their results were a clear win for Bing, which garnered 57.4 percent of the vote, compared to 30.2 percent for Google and 12.4 percent resulting in a tie. That’s not exactly what I experienced, but perhaps you should try the test for yourself; you might be surprised.
Cynthia Murrell, September 20, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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