Track Folks Down via People Search Systems
June 14, 2009
You too can be a private eye. A happy quack to the reader who alerted me to a list of 25 search engines that can help you find a person. “25 Free People Search Engines to Find Anyone in the World” is quite useful. I learned about some systems that the goslings did not have in our list. A couple of quick examples and then you can navigate to Findermind.com and snag the full listing:
- Tweepz—Looks very strong
- Private Eye—Like having Peter Gunn at your side
- Criminal Searches—Very, very useful
Add all 25 to your bookmarks.
Stephen Arnold, June 14, 2009
Google, Microblogging, and the Building Wave
June 14, 2009
Over the last several days, I have spoken with a number of people about dataspaces and one component of that subsystem, Google Wave. I am not willing to present that detail in this free Web log, but I can point to one article that is useful. Google’s own announcement comes when most mavens and pundits are resting for the long public relations charged week ahead. On the surface, the Google is getting into the Microblogging game. Twitter is the poster child but the teen idol is about to make an appearance. What’s the protein that hooks together the three genetic blobs? How do dataspaces, wave, and microblogging mesh? One hint: Microblogging is one building block, not the arm or the leg. Mashable asks a couple of other questions, which in my opinion, miss the main event, but decide for yourself:
Could Google have made a deal with Twitter? Or is Google undertaking this project on its own? These are questions we’re going to ask as more details about this project are released (or get leaked). What do you think – is this a smart move by Google? And what effect could this have on Twitter?
Stephen Arnold, June 14, 2009
More Advice for the Buggy Whip Crowd
June 12, 2009
Google executives have been known to suggest that newspaper publishers rely on technology to cure their woes. I think that Googlers and other advice givers may want to curl up with the thrilled non fiction book by Jacques Ellul in either English or French and read what the sociologist has to say about la technologie. You can find a copy of the here. My copy carries the title Bluff technologique, but translation is a wondrous profession. Summing up 400 pages of turgid analysis, let me say that when technology bites someone on the backside, today we use technology to solve the problems created by technology. The alternative is a more human method of sucking the poison from the wound. Not too popular, eh?
I just read another of these “technology will save your tail” programs. I scanned “Scoble’s Building 43 Launching Tonight with Practical Tips for businesses Stuck in the 90s” here. I liked the write up. I didn’t like the concept of providing advice to people who are faced with technology snakes biting their ankles and fleshy parts.
I read Building43’s “the New Economics of Entrepreneurship” and realized that talking about this stuff is indeed exciting. When a Silicon Valley luminary such as Guy Kawasaki dispenses the advice, those in the know should listen. Check out his essay here. I agree with most of what he says.
My concern is that none of the Silicon Valley wizards has thought about the implications of using technology to solve today’s problems.
I don’t think technology can solve the problems of newspapers or any other business that is being bitten by competitors and customers who have embraced different business methods or alternative methods of meeting needs.
I don’t like the buggy whip analogy either. Every MBA student and future Bernie Madoff reads this essay and realizes the reason the buggy whip guy failed was that he did not know how to think about the horseless carriage. In fact, no amount of first hand experience, thinking, or talking could close the switch between the guy’s synapses and grasp that the oddity was going to have some profound impacts. These range from roller skating car hops at Sonic Drive In to teen pregnancy and that environmentally friendly sport of NASCAR racing. Go figure.
I want to assert that arrogance is part of the problem. There may be presumptive behavior operating, but I think the difficulty goes back to the failure of some folks to see connections. A buggy whip maker can stare at an automobile all day and not think about fuzzy dice for the rear view mirror, leather seat covers from a West Coast Custom rebuild, or a steering wheel wrap with perforations to allow the driver’s hands to perspire without losing a grip on wheel in rush hour traffic in downtown Boston.
Telling someone with buggy whip synapses to use technology means zero. In fact, when pundits tell publishers to embrace technology, most of the publishers believe that they have been married to technology for years. The problem is that “technology” to a publisher may mean color capable Web presses or a content management system to push story drafts around the newsroom. Technology may mean digital cameras or remote control robots to adjust lightning instead of paying a kid to climb the rafters in a motion picture studio.
You get the idea.
The problem is language and understanding what a Silicon Valley maven means when he or she says, “Technology.” My thought is that the Mr. Scobles and the Mr. Kawasakis and the Mr. Schimdts mean to use the mental equipment possessed by those who can do math in their head, analyze a circuit, see how software works by scanning code, or performing other mental tricks that have to do with scientific and technical capabilities.
Publishers and the guy who runs the tire company may have some of these skills, but the life experiences, interests, and business demands require different mental equipment. Therefore, when you say “technology” to my Big O tire dealer, he points to a digital tire gauge, not to his iPhone.
Bottomline: those who don’t understand the meaning of the word “technology” when offered an a cure all, often don’t have a clue about:
- What particular technology or technologies are appropriate
- How to apply to technologies to an existing business process
- What to do to minimize the negative effects of a technology when it spring a surprise
- Where to find people who can “translate” the rocket science into something that can be used by a regular person.
Do most people in Silicon Valley or New York or London define their terms before talking about technology? Not many in my experience.
Grab a copy of Jacque Ellul’s book. Let me know if you agree with his analysis formulated in the dusty days before the “Internet”. Just the opinion of an addled goose.
Stephen Arnold, June 12, 2009
Social Networking to Marry Call Centers
June 12, 2009
Hmmm. Interesting concept. A big space like social networking marries below its station in life. Don’t think so, asserts this addled goose. To get the other side of this story you will want to read this summary of a consulting firm’s report. The title is “Social Networking and Contact Centres to Merge” here.
The passage that set my pin feathers spinning was:
When Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher start to use social networking services, it makes headlines across the globe and raises consumer awareness of these emerging communications channels. But according to independent market analysis firm Datamonitor, companies of all sizes have also begun to engage customers and prospects on social networking services.
Oprah! I found this segment interesting as well:
… complaints about products and services go viral very quickly. Ian Jacobs, senior analyst for customer interaction technologies at Datamonitor and the report’s author, said: “Given the boom in popularity of social networks, enterprises of all stripes have started to look for ways to market their brands to potential customers through these services. Whether it is through online contests, coupon and discount offers or just an extended presence to shine positive light on brands, social networking has become a darling of the marketing world.” The increased corporate presence on these networks has also led to service interactions between company and customer. Some of these interactions result from a direct contact from a customer to a company, akin to a phone call into a contact centre. But with new social media monitoring tools, companies have also begun to inject themselves into customer conversations. If, for example, a customer complains to the world at large about poor service, the company being complained about proactively reaches out to the customer to try to solve the issue.
I agree that some social networking services apply to customer support. I think the impact of social networks will be to give customers a way to get help without getting involved with an organization’s customer support unit.
Azure chip consultants are working overtime to whip up business, and I admire that. What makes me quack happily is the silly glittering generalities used to make the obvious momentous. I suppose I could call the consulting firm’s customer support unit. Oh, I forgot. Azure chip consulting firms don’t need customer support. Clients get a billable expert to resolve any sticky wickets. Billable is as billable does.
Stephen Arnold, June 12, 2009
Network World Dings Google a Decade Too Late
June 12, 2009
I think it is admirable that pundits, mavens, real journalists, and analysts are now focusing their attention on Google, whom I affectionately call Googzilla. My recollection is that Google emerged from BackRub about 11 years ago. The Google was on a role from the moment its initial public offering came out of the gates in 2004. That IPO took place after the Google settled a legal squabble with its neighbor Yahoo. The settlement cost more than most search companies generate in a lifetime of spreadsheet jockeying.
Now the Google is somehow different. I don’t think so. I think those who have been asleep at the switch have been hit over the head with Google’s earning power, its technology, and its ability to surround and seep into many business sectors. This did not happen overnight, gentle reader. Google has matured.
One interesting and well reasoned article appeared today (June 11, 2009) in Network World. You must read David Coursey’s “Google Antiturst Case Misses the Point” here. Network World, like some of the London newspapers, has been taking a somewhat sharp approach to its coverage of the Google in my opinion.
Mr. Coursey wrote:
Antitrust regulators will look at this merely as a business issue–is Google too big for the good of the marketplace. What they really should be asking is whether Google is gaining too much control of another marketplace–that of ideas.
His argument is that Google is the big dog in the idea business. Mr. Coursey dodges the “m” word but it drapes is polysyllabic fabric over the write up.
My thoughts:
- Too late, folks. The Google has momentum, and it disruptive force is amplifying as its various initiatives intersect. Remember how this happens from physics? If not, check it out here and its sister, the cross field amplifier. Cross field just like multiple business sectors being disrupted in my way of envisioning Google’s market methods.
- Competition must resort to the courts. Sad to say but legal eagles may spoil Google’s parade. The problem is that legal methods take time and the competition has to nail its case before the cash runs out.
- Google is morphing. If I hear the SEO crowd tell me that Google is an ad company one more time, I may have a minor stroke. The Google was an ad company. Its new initiatives open new revenue doors. Those new opportunities don’t preclude ads; they supplement ad revenue. If that revenue comes from its competitors’ best customers, then what? See item 2 above for the cash crunch that could derail the legal challenges.
Stay tuned. UFC 2010 is coming. The regulatory battles are the undercard in my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, June 11, 2009
Google and a Brace of Compliance-Related Methods
June 12, 2009
If you navigate to my Google patent collection in the Perfect Search demonstration, you can poke around for various digital fingerprinting methods, filtering, and content identification systems. The GOOG has been working hard to find bulletproof, speedy, and efficient ways to identify content that may get Googzilla in hot water with copyright owners.
I paid attention when I saw two patent documents come across the lily pad I use for a desk here in the goose pond. What’s notable about each is that the inventors overlap. Names that jumped out at me included Franck Chastagnol, Vijay Karunamurthy, and Chris Maxcy, among others. The other notable feature was that both documents were about doing “stuff” to understand and perform actions on video files.
The two patent documents of interest are:
- 20090144325, “Blocking of Unlicensed Audio Content in Video Files on a Video Hosting Website”
- 20090144326, “Site Directed Management of Audio Components of Uploaded Video Files”
You can get copies of these documents from the user-friendly, highly-intuitive USPTO Web site here. Please, read the syntax examples; otherwise, no go, folks.
These documents strike me as important for several reasons:
- Both were filed on the same day, a sign of importance to this addled goose
- Both pertain to copyright related functions performed by software, not humans
- Both move the GOOG’s capabilities forward with more clever and what appear to me efficient methods.
The Google is trying to be a good Googzilla in my opinion. Keep in mind that I am not an attorney, so check with your friendly patent attorney about the validity of the systems and methods disclosed in these two documents.
Stephen Arnold, June 12, 2009
Fujitsu Gets Bitten by the Search Bug
June 12, 2009
Juan Carlos Perez’s “Fujitsu Plug In Helps Refine Search Queries” here caught me by surprise. When I think of Japan and search, I think of Just Systems, not Fujitsu. I need to realign my goosely thinking. Mr. Perez wrote:
Fujitsu Laboratories of America has created a browser plug-in that pops-up a cloud of suggested query refinements around search engine boxes. Called Xurch, the tool works with Firefox and Internet Explorer, as well as with several major search engines and some big sites, the company said Thursday [June 11, 2009].
Fujitsu has created a Web site for Xurch here. You can download the free browser plug in here.
The idea is that the tag cloud shows a “cloud” or unordered list of related terms, concepts, and bound phrases appear. Each is a hot link which chops the longer list of results down. You see only those hits that are germane to your information need. To show the cloud, one moves the xurcher (oops, the cursor) into the search box. To make the cloud go away, move the xurcher (ooops, the cursor) out of the search box hot zone.
My hunch is that the Fujitsu Laboraotries of America here have more search goodness in the creative microwaves. NEC Research near the old Bell Labs building in New Jersey did some interesting search related work. Maybe Fujitsu will reignite Japanese-funded rexurch into information retrieval? A search for “information retrieval” on the Fujitsu Labs’s Web site return a link to a tie up with Open Text but not too much other exicting stuff among the four hits.
Stephen Arnold, June 12, 2009
ITPints: Real Time Search Engine
June 12, 2009
A happy quack to the reader who told me about ITPints.com, “the new real time Web search engine”. You can try out the beta version here. The developer of the system is Javier Arias, and you can find information about the system here. I liked Javier Arias’ style. He said:
itpints you can know what is people publishing on internet about anything of your interest, at the same time you’re searching for it. The relevancy of any result is given by when it was posted on internet. The possibilities are infinite, you can use it to follow what is happening on a concert of your favorite band, or search for news that are not even in the newspapers yet!
He also points to other services offering somewhat similar functions. Again: upfront and clear. The new system will soon feature an API. The ITPints.com site is compatible with the Firefox Ubiquity extension.
I ran several test queries on the system and found some useful links. For example, the query for “Beyond Search” returned Twitter references to my somewhat negative write up about a search engine optimization course that provided paying attendees with a “certification”. Definitely fresh results in my opinion.
My query for “text mining” returned several interesting links related to the use of text mining to “identify quality issues.” I was surprised that there was current activity around what is a niche technology. Text mining without analytics and behavior tracking is not the the main event. I found the flurry of posts about a PubMed text mining project quite useful and to me new information. I followed the ITPints.com hit to 7th Space and bookmarked the site.
The addled goose awards a happy quack.
Stephen Arnold, June 12, 2009
Bing’s Got Some Useful Search Features
June 11, 2009
The goslings have been fumbling around because web feet don’t equate with Web searching. Nevertheless, we have gathered together six tips that we found particularly useful when running “bings” on the Microsoft search site. Tell your friends to “bing it.” Remember: in the examples below omit the initial and trailing quotation marks.
Tip 1: to see what’s hot in feeds. Enter this string in front of your query: “feed:”. The resulting query looks like this: “feed:Cleveland +”business information”.
Tip 2: this is a direct match for the “other guy’s” syntax. To locate only Adobe PDF documents you use this string in front of your query: “filetype:” The resulting query looks like this: “filetype:ppt +sharepoint”.
Tip 3: this is another direct match for the “other guy’s” syntax. To locate only documents within a particular Web site you use this string in front of your query: “site:” The resulting query looks like this: “site:search +arnoldit.com
Tip 4: this tip is essential if you are looking for hits from a little known or unpopular site like the National Railway Retirement Board. To determine if a Web site is in the Bing index, enter this string in front of your query: “url:”. The resulting query looks like this: “url:marad.gov”
Tip 5: this tip is popular with the goslings who enjoy online music. To locate hits on sites that have links to specific filetypes, precede the query with the string “contains:” The resulting query looks like this: “contains:mp3”
Tip 6: Boolean operators are available. Use “+” for AND and “-“ for NOT.
Remember to put bound phrases such as “White House” in quotes to minimize false drops.
We think the system has some useful features. You can get other tips for running bings on the new Microsoft system at these locations:
- Help for the system is in tiny gray type at the foot of the Bing splash page. You can go directly to the online information pages by clicking here.
- MalekTips has some useful tips here.
- Digital Inspiration has some interesting tips here. I quite liked tip 1 so the full Bing is available to users where access may be limited in some way.
Remember don’t say the “other guy’s” name when you mean Web search. Say, “Bing it.” I am working on making this word an active part of my vocabulary.
Stephen Arnold, June 11, 2009
Certified SEO Expert Program
June 11, 2009
The economy may be in la poubelle, but for $3,500 you can try your hand at becoming a certified search enigne marketing professional. Forget Malcolm Gladwell’s premise that an expert needs 10,000 hours to sharpen his or her intellectual blade. You can get acdpted for the program with a credit card, an Internet connection, and some time. Click here to take advantage of this Market Motive offer. Seems quicker than struggling with a medical, legal, or MBA degree. Wow.
Stephen Arnold, June 11, 2009
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