Digital Info Death Ray
July 11, 2010
Traditional Web sites are wounded; many are in peril, starved for traffic. Not even the huffing and puffing search engine optimization gangs can pump up these deflating properties. But the digital death ray is affecting some giants in electronic dissemination as well.
It seems that the Associated Press ( yes, those are the newspaper people ) are getting ready to take on bloggers in some kind of strange cyber battle over the blogs allegedly siphoning traffic away from the paper editions of what’s called ‘hot news.’
In a move that really seems like the terrible trashing around of some dinosaur that’s become panicked by a new faster and more streamlined and immediate species, it’s alleged Dean Singleton ,chair of the Associated Press, has orchestrated a cease and desist order against a Colorado blog for quoting parts of relevant news stories that first appeared in print. This all from Techdirt.com.
At the center of the legal stand is the argument that if the site only provides a few clicks, they have no fair use of First Amendment rights. Interesting premise no doubt and it’s important to remember that the argument centers on the infringements to other Associate Press websites.
Still, wouldn’t it be easier to turn that boat around and go with the inexorable current?
Rob Starr, July 11, 2010
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Social Media Gives eDiscovery Indigestion
July 10, 2010
It seems everyone loves Facebook, Twitter and all the social media tools at our disposal. Everyone except e-discovery, that is. A recent ZD Net article, “Social Media a Nightmare for e-Discovery,” detailed growing difficulties for litigation discovery, which requires all relevant documents be submitted in court and reviewed. According to one electronic discovery representative, social media is, “creating phenomenal difficulties because you have employees creating information in pockets that are not controlled by general corporate governance policy, on servers that are generally not owned by a company and can often really skirt the edges of a company’s IP or relevant business documentation.”
This news isn’t surprising, since it seems every time technology opens a door for people, that same technology slams some windows shut. But, problems like this are what makes technology exciting because it often sparks innovation.
Do we need more evidence that casual assurances that social content is not big problem for search and content processing systems. Will an azure chip consultant endorse eDiscovery products that lack essential functionality? Does a byte reside on a solid state disc?
Pat Roland, July 10, 2010
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Google Gets a Yes in Its Chinese Fortune Cookie
July 9, 2010
Short honk: The BBC reported that Google has a Web page license. “Google Says China License Renewed by Government” noted:
Google has had a long history of run-ins with the Chinese authorities, but without a license granted by Beijing, it cannot operate in China. “Our operations in China are completely at the discretion of the Chinese government,” Mr. Schmidt has said.
Our view from the goose pond is that China sent Google a message. In diplomatic terms, I think this means that Google’s fortune cookie contain some good news. However, Google will get hungry again and have to order another Chinese meal. What will that meal’s fortune cookie say?
The license is a reminder that China is a country and Google is a company. Get too frisky and could the Chinese chef insert something quite surprising in the fried rice?
Stephen E Arnold, July 9, 2010
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Revelation? Disconnect in Support Organizations?
July 8, 2010
I received a snail mail promotion from T Mobile about the company’s HSPA and 3G mobile broadband service. I called the T Mobile 800 number three times. Each time, the person did not know about the service described on my flier. The third time I was disconnected and someone called me back and left the T Mobile 800 number and urged me to call and ask for a specific number. Nope. I drove to the local T Mobile store on July 3, 2010, and learned that no one in the store, including the manager, knew about the HSPA 3G service or the promotion. I showed my T Mobile snail mail card and the manager called T Mobile. No one knew about the HSPA 3 G service.
I read “Chasing the Wrong Carrot: The Big Disconnect in Support Organizations.” I hoped to find some information about why companies like T Mobile cannot inform its various units that a new product is available and that customers like the addled goose will be asked to sign up. The write up did not do much for the goose. I don’t think it is http://www.inquira.comInQuira’s fault. I think that the financial pressure and the wacky belief that firing people will make a company stronger.
For me, the most interesting point in the write up by “inquiring minds” was:
Companies continue to spend approximately 80% of their support budgets and focus all of their support metrics on agent-assisted support. However, the growing reality is 90% of their inquiries are being initiated online today without any agent intervention—and that figure is only increasing as Gen Y makes up a bigger percentage of the buying population.
Well, I looked for the information I wanted about the HSPA 3G service. I was able via Google to locate a coverage map. It was illegible and there was no single list of areas or zip codes in which the service was available. Then I looked for information about the modem’s surcharges when the modem is used in another country like Germany, allegedly where the T Mobile brain trust resides. Nope. At least I couldn’t find what I wanted.
The notion that the Web and clueless humans in a telephone holding pen will provide useful information is baloney.
The larger issue is the focus of executives on cutting costs and doing whatever is required to deflect inquiries. Within the organizations, many executives are too busy running from Outlook scheduled meeting to Outlook scheduled meeting to take responsibility for getting information where it is needed.
T Mobile is not alone in its seemingly clueless thrashing. Same problem in many businesses. Search is not going to fix the problem of flawed management. When each customer support avenue fails, what’s that tell me?
Stephen E Arnold, July 8, 2010
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Navgle Lost?
July 7, 2010
Short honk: I liked the Navgle.com service. It was a tie up between South Korea’s Naver.com and Google.com. I saw a 404 a month ago and tried again today. Goner. Too bad. I liked the service. No details. My hunch is that there are some juicy factoids but the goose doesn’t care. In love with Google, out of love with Google does not matter. Google is Google.
Stephen E Arnold, July 7, 2010
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ArnoldIT July 2010 For-Fee Columns
July 6, 2010
Stephen E Arnold’s July 2010 columns have been filed. These will appear between August and October 2010 due to the lag time in print publication. Information World Review has shifted from paper to an online-only publication, so that column should be available in the month of July. Here’s a run down of what I covered for each of these publishing firms:
Information Today, published by Information Today in Medford, New Jersey. The column is “The Palantir Play: A Blend of Open and Closed.” Palantir received about $90 million in venture funding. The column considers the implications of the firm’s open source and proprietary technology blend. www.infotoday.com
Information World Review, published by Bizmedia Ltd., runs my column in its online journal. This month’s column is “Will Open Source Boost SAP?” My view is that I hope so. SAP has a long hill to climb with its aging locomotives R/3 and NetWeaver. www.iwr.co.uk
KMWorld, published by Information Today in Medford, New Jersey. The column is “Google Communications: Regular, Blended, or Transformational?”. I consider the differences between Google’s approach to enterprise unified communications and what such companies as Cisco, Microsoft, and Verizon offer. www.kmworld.com
Smart Business Network publishes about 20 regional business magazines. My column appears in each region’s publication. This month’s column is “Why a Web Site Is So Yesterday.” The idea is that other types of electronic presence is required. A Web page won’t pull the marketing cart in today’s world. www.sbnonline.com
In addition, the ArnoldIT.com team is generating original content for Access Innovations and IGear. If you want to add original content to your blog, let me know. I can provide you with options and costs for this service. The Beyond Search blog and my columns have created a spontaneous demand for substantive content on technical and business issues. Quite a surprise for this aging goose. One plus is that traffic to a Web site increases with the ArnoldIT.com “triple tap” method. Forget traditional public relations and consider the original content methods. Write seaky2000@yahoo.com for information.
Stephen E Arnold, July 6, 2010
This is a commercial message bought by Stephen E Arnold in order to generate vast sums of money and help companies wanting a marketing method that really works.
Business Spread Free Service
July 5, 2010
The best things in life are free, or so a British vertical search engine thinks. Business Spread provides an editable page, as well as entry onto social bookmarking pages and social networks like Twitter and Facebook for its customers. The listing page allows a business’ logo, a description and contact information all for free. Even the premium page options that place certain business listing above all others, is free, only requiring a link to Business Spread on that homepage. The jury is still out on how well this engine works for generating business. Business Spread’s page itself is cluttered and a little confusing to navigate. But by offering this service free, they are already doing better than similar competition that charges fees.
Jessica West Bratcher, July 5, 2010
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Autonomy Tasers Its Competition
July 2, 2010
I can hear the yelps now, “Don’t tase me, man. No, not again.” Bzzzap. “Yow.”
Now I hear a gasping, “Autonomy cannot be Number One. We are Number One.”
Who is doing the complaining? Probably about 300 vendors of search and content processing systems that is who. Why the howls on this fine summer day?
Navigate to Chron.com and read “Autonomy Is #1 in Search and Discovery Market, According to Leading Market Research Firm.” There is a write up about IDC’s study “Worldwide Search and Discovery 2009 Vendor Shares: An Update on Market Trends.” So, the 300 yelpers have to do more than howl, issue one shot news releases, or drop the ball on marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Autonomy — acording to a big gun analyst outfit — is the top dog, the king of the hill, and the cat’s pajamas in search and content processing. This is not my opinion, gentle reader, I am pointing you to a rock solid source, IDC.
What’s the write up say? Here’s a snippet:
Autonomy continues to be the largest enterprise supplier, using its search-based IDOL infrastructure to act as a foundation for content-centric and search-driven business applications including eDiscovery and compliance, Web content management, enterprise content management and rich media, search marketing, intelligence, call center and customer support, and traditional knowledge management applications.” “Businesses from every industry continue to turn to Autonomy to help them achieve what other technology companies fail to deliver on – identifying the meaning within all forms of information, in real-time, in order to protect and promote their organization,” said Mike Lynch, CEO of Autonomy. “Autonomy’s unique meaning-based approach to information computing is what continues to fuel our rapid growth and clear market leadership, as validated by the recent IDC report on Search and Discovery market shares.”
And no big disagreement from the addled goose. I quite like some of the Autonomy technology. I like most of what IDC produces. If the data compiled for the report are accurate, Autonomy has a big footprint and happy customers. Among the thousands of Autonomy licensees are AOL, BAE Systems, BBC, Bloomberg, Boeing, Citigroup, Coca Cola, Daimler AG, Deutsche Bank, DLA Piper, Ericsson, FedEx, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, Lloyds TSB, NASA, Nestle, the New York Stock Exchange, Reuters, Shell, Tesco, T-Mobile, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
You may be using Autonomy technology and not even know it. More than 400 companies glue Autonomy to their own systems in order to provide search and content processing functions. Recognize any of these names? Symantec, Citrix, HP, Novell, Oracle, Sybase and TIBCO.
When the competition is able to stop yammering, perhaps some of these 300 vendors will start selling, marketing, and making Autonomy perspire. Google? Microsoft? Are you paying attention. Autonomy has more than 20,000 customers for its search and content processing systems, applications, and services. Oh, keep in mind that IDC offers data to back up its conclusion that Autonomy is Number One.
Competitors who make Kin phones and then kill their Kin the next day may want to reexamine their strategy. Other vendors may want to stop trying to tell governments how to run their railroads and business licensing policies.
Autonomy seems to have more – ah, how shall I say it? – yes, focus.
By the way, how does that taser feel? Want another zap? Bzzzap.
Stephen E Arnold, July 2, 2010
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Alibaba Vendio: Probing Endeca and Google in eCommerce
June 29, 2010
Hong Kong-listed Alibaba.com, the business-to-business unit of Alibaba Group, is one of China’s okay Internet companies. I don’t think too much about China because it is a long, long way from the pond filled with mine run off here in Harrod’s Creek. My hunch is that the eCommerce companies don’t think too much about Alibaba either. That may change. Navigate to “Alibaba.com to Acquire Vendio,” and you will learn that Alibaba is going to acquire “a multi-channel e-commerce company providing a one-stop solution for small businesses that are selling online across multiple channels.” If this is the same Alibaba with which I am familiar, the tie up with Vendio could give those looking for a scalable eCommerce solution another option. The new story said:
The company says that from the Vendio Platform, merchants can source products from its supplier network and sell through channels such as eBay, Amazon, and their own Vendio-supported store. It adds that this platform is offered on Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud-computing model to help businesses increase their sales while managing costs to enhance their profit margin.
The implications of this deal range from price competition to more integrated back end functions. Google may be able to move forward without much concern. Google’s eCommerce solution is a recent innovation. Google’s ability to glue components together may allow the juggernaut to push Alibaba and Vendio to the curb. Endeca, working with somewhat different methods, may find itself having to deal with Amazon and the Alibaba Vendio duo. Yahoo remains a potential player in this eCommerce sector. My recollection is that Yahoo owns or owned a stake in the company. Amazon is an aggressive player, and it may have to adapt to Alibaba Vendio as well.
Alibaba has search technology, so this deal if it goes through will deliver what I call “search enabled processes.” I know that process is one of the words that put people to sleep. But despite the notion’s lack of sizzle, SEPs are going to be an increasingly important in the world beyond search. In fact, at the October Lucene Revolution, there will be some interesting sessions on this very topic.
Stephen E Arnold, June 29, 2010
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Vivisimo Drifts to Integration and Services
June 29, 2010
I heard about Vivisimo’s Federal Day from a contact in Washington, DC. Like MarkLogic and many other organizations, a company sponsored conference can be more effective than a general purpose trade show. The vendors need qualified prospects, and I think that customer conferences with an open door policy for prospects is an important marketing angle for search and content processing vendors.
Vivisimo has not been on my radar. There has been executive churn which is often a sign that a company is in some flux. You can read about the event in the effusive write up in Vivisimo’s Web log Information Optimized. The story is “Vivisimo’s Federal Day 2010.” The line up of speakers struck me as eclectic, and I am not sure how much search and content processing focus the presentations had. The notion of “information optimization” strikes me as azure chip consultant speak. The phrase is ambiguous. I am not sure what information is, so it is tough for me to know how to optimize something I don’t understand. But I was not there, so hopefully Vivisimo will post the PowerPoint decks or PDF versions of the notes.
Like other companies with roots in a search function, Vivisimo is working hard to find a way to get customers without falling into the “search is dead” quagmire. For me, the most telling comment in the article was:
By the end of the day, with the help of our customers and partners, we had explored the need, the theory and the practice behind Information Optimization. As Director of Product Management I have the benefit of hearing our customer stories daily, but many in attendance don’t have this luxury so it was a great pleasure to see their eye light up with possibilities when hearing each other’s stories. One of my favorite quotes of the day was when an analyst explained the value of their application as “finally it was like the lights were turned on.” The diversity of solutions shown by our customers drove home the enormous potential of this discipline, and the feedback we received will help drive the evolution of Vivisimo’s product and service offerings in the future. What a home run!
A home run is great. Winning for customers and stakeholders is the real yard stick in my opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, June 29, 2010
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