Facebook Called to Improve Search Functionality to Compete
September 10, 2012
A call for Facebook to do a better job with on-site search is being repeated from leading advertising industry analysts. One of the next steps for the social networking giant needs to be integrating on-site search and ad targeting functions regarding these searches. In an article on MediaPost titled, “Facebook Must Improve Site Search to Stay Competitive,” we learn that better site search could (and should) improve ROI for advertisers on the social networking site.
The article also informs us:
“For Facebook to ‘truly go after Google’ it will need to compete in search, and Google must go after social to compete with Facebook, according to Brian Solis, principal at research group Altimeter Group, and Pivot conference editorial director. ‘It took years for Google to create an algorithm to serve up the correct pages from a search query, but Facebook doesn’t have the luxury of time,’ he said.”
With the stock price looking anemic, Facebook may want to follow advice and get in gear. No one at the company would respond to comments, but it is predicted that revenue should begin to increase if Facebook continues to roll out new ad products and improve search functionality of the site.
Andrea Hayden, September 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Wapedia Makes Mobile Device Searching More Efficient
September 9, 2012
Mobile device searching can prove difficult, even with mesmerizing products such as Apple’s Siri. A good go-to resource to try when looking for information on your cell phone or tablet is Wapedia from Wikipedia. The mobile version of the well-loved free online encyclopedia makes standard Wikipedia pages viewable on smaller displays, reduces image sizes, and includes a search engine independent of Wikipedia servers. The Wapedia page tells us more about the technology:
“Wapedia offers the most recent version of every article, which is done by using a combination of a proxy-like behavior and a local article database. This combination provides both high speed and up-to-date articles and low load and traffic for the Wikipedia servers. The copying of data is one way, from Wikipedia to Wapedia, and so Wapedia does not offer the ability to edit pages. Edits must be made to the original page on the Wikipedia site, which propagate through to Wapedia over time.”
Versions for Apple devices, Android, and WebOS applications exist. This mobile solution injects adverts directly into the Wikipedia articles through HTML or in the applications. We think this search solution from the free-content giant is impressive and think other companies and app-developers should take note of the technology.
Andrea Hayden, September 09, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Amazon and Search: Another Google Snub?
September 8, 2012
I have pointed out the problems I have encountered when using Amazon’s native search system. I read “Big Win for Microsoft: Bing Is the Default Search Engine on the Kindle Fire HD.” My hopes rose then fell. The search by Bing is for the new Kindle Fire’s Web search box. Amazon seems to be taking a baby step toward a more robust search solution but, if the story is accurate, not for those who have to cope with the native search system at Amazon.com.
One other thought: Amazon used Android to get rolling in the tablet sector. Then Amazon did its own app store and Android tablet users are only, sort of welcome. Now Amazon is embracing Microsoft Bing.
The dreams of some for a Google-zon seem to be out of reach now. The MBAs wanting the GOOG to buy Amazon to get a solution to the somewhat disappointing Google Shopping service may have to wait even longer.
Amazon seems to be willing to tangle with both Apple and Google. Who would have thought that ebook commerce would spawn a WalMart killer, a Netflix killer, and maybe an Apple and Google killer.
Stephen E Arnold, September 8, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
Findability and French Search Vendor Names
September 7, 2012
The findability crisis is escalating. There are three reasons. First, companies have ignored the importance of ensuring their company name is findable in the main search indexes. Second, companies have tried to be cute, using odd ball spellings or phrases which are ambiguous. Third, marketers assume that a Web site and some sales people will keep the firm’s identify strong.
I am working of a project which requires me to examine the positioning of several French-owned search, analytics, and content processing companies. I don’t want to isolate any single company, but I want to do a quick run through of what I found when I sat down with a team of researchers who were gathering open source information for me.
Tricky spelling may not help. A happy quack to TheChive.com and http://www.buzzom.com/2010/08/top-5-hilarious-brand-knock-offs-by-china-in-india/
Ami Albert. This is the name I have in my files. The company is now AMI with the tagline “enterprise intelligence software.” A search for AMI on Google for “ami” returned zero links to the company. The older name “Ami Albert” returned a hit to a person named Ami Albert and about six hits down, there was a link to “Ami Software” at the non intuitive url www.amisw.com. The phrase “enterprise intelligence software” returned no hits on the first page of Google results for the “enterprise intelligence software” vendor. Adding “ami” to “enterprise intelligence software” did return links to the company. Conclusion: to find this company in a Web search index one has to know the older name (ami albert) or use the phrase “ami enterprise intelligence software” as a string. Guessing the url is tough because www.amisw.com is short but opaque. No big deal for my researchers. One wonders how many more customers the company could attract if it were more findable.
Antidot. The company uses a variant of “antidote.” If one knows how to spell the name of the company, Google delivers direct links to the company’s home page at www.antidot.net. However, when I ran the query for “antidot” in Yandex, I got the French company and a link to Antidot in Switzerland and www.antidotincl.ch.
Exalead. This is a unique name of a company. The product is called CloudView. A search for Exalead will get the researcher to Exalead’s main site or its search system. However, CloudView does not return a product link to Exalead or its parent Dassault Systèmes. The linkage between the identify of the company and the brand is tenuous. Product name blurring may not be a good thing for some at 3ds.com.
Polyspot. This French vendor dominates the first four hits on Google and maintains this findability across the public Web indexes. The company is also the first four hits on the Chinese government’s Chinese language search engine Jike.com. Another company uses the same name “polyspot.” The search vendor pushes down the plastic dot company, so semantic conflict is resolved in favor of Polyspot. Obviously Polyspot is doing something that the other French vendors are not in terms of brand.
Sinequa. This is a Latin phrase meaning something that is indispensable. There is a drug called “sinequan” which Google displays as an autocomplete option. The French vendor comes up as the top hit in Google. The company uses the phrase “unified information access,” which is also used by Attivio. In this naming example, two vendors roughly in the same business sector are using the identical phrase to describe their business. What is interesting is that Attivio, not Sinequa, has the strongest semantic grip on this phrase.
Thunderstone Advertises on LinkedIn
September 7, 2012
I just noticed that my LinkedIn search results returned a page with an ad from Thunderstone.
I find LinkedIn a hot bed for job hunting. Obviously LinkedIn’s ad sales team knows more about who buys search appliances than I do.
Stephen E Arnold, September 7, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext, marketing for those not looking for job seekers
What Designers Should Expect with the SharePoint 2013 Release
September 7, 2012
Brian Alderman discusses expected changes for designers in the upcoming SharePoint 2013 release in the third installment, “35,000-Foot View of SharePoint 2013 for Designers,” of his four part series.
Alderman explains the major change to expect:
One of the biggest changes in SharePoint 2013 is that SharePoint Designer is no longer necessary for branding a SharePoint site. Now there’s a new utility called Design Manager that designers can use for branding SharePoint websites…it is part of the publishing portal site collection template…and introduces a brand new interface that serves as the central hub for branding. With Design Manager, designers can use HTML, CSS and Jscript in any of their favorite HTML editors.
Workflow changes are also discussed, including the new platform called SharePoint 2013 Workflow which allows SharePoint Designer created workflows to include functionality for Windows Azure Workflows. If you are a designer, the brief read may be worth it to stay in the loop on what’s coming.
To maximize your SharePoint investments beyond implementation, consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Part of the full suite of solutions is the Fabasoft Folio Connector, which provides uniform, reliable management of your digital content. Here is a highlight:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise is able to search all data sources connected to the platform simultaneously. In addition to data from, for example, Microsoft Exchange or the file system, the Fabasoft Folio Connector allows to query information objects and documents from Fabasoft Folio, too.
With on-premise and Cloud information pairing capabilities, Mindbreeze provides a comprehensive and enterprise-grade solution that adds rich value to your business knowledge. Read more at Mindbreeze, where they seem to have the benefits of a proper installation down pat.
Philip West, September 7, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Bing Search Volume Drops Following Social-Focused Updates
September 7, 2012
Few search engines have the capacity and the reach to compete with Google, But Microsoft’s Bing had slowly become a threat to the search giant. However, Hitwise reported that Bing had reportedly lost 4% of a drop in search volume this July. Neowin.net reported on the loss in the article, “Bing Search Volume Drops 4%,” and the possible reasons behind the small fall.
We learn:
“Hitwise says that July’s estimated 4% drop in searches came on the heels of a 5% gain in May, which is around the time Microsoft launched Bing’s ‘Sidebar’ feature, alongside a major social-focused update to the search engine. Even though Hitwise speculates that the update could be behind Bing’s loss, we’re not so sure, since it really wasn’t that significant of a change, in terms of Bing’s basic function.”
Numbers like this fluctuate regularly, and Hitwise’s results were based on estimates, but the number should still be a concern for Microsoft. What does Microsoft have to do to build consistently its share of search traffic? We think the heavy integration into new Windows products will help, but perhaps the company should take note and listen to users who were unhappy with the switch to social.
Andrea Hayden, September 07, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Search Analysis Reaches the Literary Canon
September 7, 2012
Search and data analytics have led to an interesting breakthrough in the classic literary cannon. Science Daily reports the findings of Matthew Jockers, an assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in his use of text-mining to compare 18th and 19th century authors’ works with one another. The resulting article, “By Text-Mining the Classics, Professor Unearths New Literary Insights,” shares his findings. Jockers refers to the process as macroanalysis, which searches large amounts of text to systematically determine how books are connected to one another.
We learn:
“Jockers said the process of macroanalysis isn’t intended to be a computerized replacement for literary theory — rather, it’s a complementary method that, in the hands of theorists, can help them read and study classic authors’ works in new ways.
And he’s careful in his use of the word ‘influence,’ as well: While measuring and tracking true influence, either conscious or unconscious, isn’t really possible, Jockers said macroanalysis enables theorists to use measures of stylistic and thematic affinity as a clear indicator of an author’s influence.”
The findings open a whole new arena for literary theorists to explore classic literature. We find it exciting to see how the reaches of Big Data are affecting particular fields of thought and study. Digital methods and technology are advancing and this type of analyzing of large amounts of text is not as difficult as it may have once been.
Andrea Hayden, September 07, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Information about Search for SharePoint 2013
September 6, 2012
We have been tracking useful sources of information about search for SharePoint 2013. You will find the three minute video prepared by Search Technologies an excellent place to begin. Search Technologies points out that the Fast search technology, acquired by Microsoft in 2008, and it 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. Search for SharePoint 2013 includes a rules-based query parsing framework. Search Technologies indicates that pricing has not yet been formally announced, but it is generally assumed that this search functionality will be a standard part of SharePoint 2013. See http://www.searchtechnologies.com/sharepoint-15-search-overview.html.
Microsoft has done a great job of providing information about SharePoint 2013 search. I wanted to make sure you knew that a series of articles is pulling together much of the Microsoft information and adding some insights that could be difficult to locate.
We can point out another useful source of information in this Microsoft document.
The author is Nicki Borell. The first three parts of his coverage of SharePoint 2013 discuss:
- Office 365
- What Happens with Fast in SharePoint 2013
- Search Dictionaries, Query Builder, Query Client Type.
Two more articles will appear in the near future, and these will cover administrative changes and user interface modifications.
Our engineers at Search Technologies track SharePoint 2013 on an hourly basis. We found that the discussion of dictionaries, query builder, and query client type were useful for two reasons:
- The articles include screenshots which make it easy to get oriented in a graphical or PowerShell environment
- There is sufficient descriptive narrative to make clear the specific feature; however, for those working with certain large SharePoint environments, additional explanation might prove useful to some system administrators.
Search Technologies has the deep experience required to handle basic and advanced SharePoint configuration, customization, and integration for any size SharePoint deployment. For more information, visit http://www.searchtechnologies.com/.
Iain Fletcher, September 6, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
Using Fabasoft Mindbreeze as a Customer Service Solution
September 6, 2012
Daniel Fallmann of Fabasoft Mindbreeze explains the beneficial customer service applications of the Mindbreeze suite of solutions in the post, “Call Center: Mindbreeze Leads to Success!” With the ability to bring on-premise and cloud information together, Mindbreeze’s powerful search can be applied to call centers for quick and efficient access to information and an improved user experience.
Fallmann explains:
Via information pairing all related information, whether structured or unstructured, from internal or external applications (e.g. client portals), new or old, is linked together. A company’s entire knowledge becomes instantly accessible. Instead of combing through 20 different applications, you need just one tool. Mindbreeze makes customer service quicker, easier and more efficient, whilst simultaneously increasing quality and customer satisfaction. As a bonus, costs are reduced and your call center employees are happier!
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise turns business data into relevant knowledge with efficient and scalable processing capabilities. When many organizations mismanage call centers and customer service, use Mindbreeze to give your employees streamlined and relevant access to information without the redundancy of multiple applications.
Philip West, September 6, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
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