Source: http://gizmodo.com/5495097/how-google-crunches-all-that-data
If data centers are the brains of an information company, then Google is one of the brainiest there is. Though always evolving, it is, fundamentally, in the business of knowing everything. Here are some of the ways it stays sharp.
For tackling massive amounts of data, the main weapon in Google’s arsenal is MapReduce, a system developed by the company itself. Whereas other frameworks require a thoroughly tagged and rigorously organized database, MapReduce breaks the process down into simple steps, allowing it to deal with any type of data, which it distributes across a legion of machines.
Looking at MapReduce in 2008, Wired imagined the task of determining word frequency in Google Books. As its name would suggest, the MapReduce magic comes from two main steps: mapping and reducing.
The first of these, the mapping, is where MapReduce is unique. A master computer evaluates the request and then divvies it up into smaller, more manageable “sub-problems,” which are assigned to other computers. These sub-problems, in turn, may be divided up even further, depending on the complexity of the data set. In our example, the entirety of Google Books would be split, say, by author (but more likely by the order in which they were scanned, or something like that) and distributed to the worker computers.
Then the data is saved. To maximize efficiency, it remains on the worker computers’ local hard drives, as opposed to being sent, the whole petabyte-scale mess of it, back to some central location. Then comes the second central step: reduction. Other worker machines are assigned specifically to the task of grabbing the data from the computers that crunched it and paring it down to a format suitable for solving the problem at hand. In the Google Books example, this second set of machines would reduce and compile the processed data into lists of individual words and the frequency with which they appeared across Google’s digital library.
The finished product of the MapReduce system is, as Wired says, a “data set about your data,” one that has been crafted specifically to answer the initial question. In this case, the new data set would let you query any word and see how often it appeared in Google Books.
MapReduce is one way in which Google manipulates its massive amounts of data, sorting and resorting it into different sets that reveal new meanings and have unique uses. But another Herculean task Google faces is dealing with data that’s not already on its machines. It’s one of the most daunting data sets of all: the internet.
Last month, Wired got a rare look at the “algorithm that rules the web,” and the gist of it is that there is no single, set algorithm. Rather, Google rules the internet by constantly refining its search technologies, charting new territories like social media and refining the ones in which users tread most often with personalized searches.
But of course it’s not just about matching the terms people search for to the web sites that contain them. Amit Singhal, a Google Search guru, explains, “you are not matching words; you are actually trying to match meaning.”
Words are a finite data set. And you don’t need an entire data center to store them—a dictionary does just fine. But meaning is perhaps the most profound data set humanity has ever produced, and it’s one we’re charged with managing every day. Our own mental MapReduce probes for intent and scans for context, informing how we respond to the world around us.
In a sense, Google’s memory may be better than any one individual’s, and complex frameworks like MapReduce ensure that it will only continue to outpace us in that respect. But in terms of the capacity to process meaning, in all of its nuance, any one person could outperform all the machines in the Googleplex. For now, anyway. [Wired, Wikipedia, and Wired]
Image credit CNET
Memory [Forever] is our week-long consideration of what it really means when our memories, encoded in bits, flow in a million directions, and might truly live forever.
Evidence for Increasing Online Use that is also Accelerating
If you sum up the total unique user sessions in Jan 2008, Jan 2009, and Jan 2010, you get
Jan 2008 – 285M
Jan 2009 – 337M
Jan 2010 – 413M
That is a year-over-year increase of 18% and 23% respectively. Assuming the population of the world does not change that much year to year, the change in total unique sessions leads to the conclusion that online usage continues to increase noticeably.
The Compete.com chart below shows nearly identical number if unique users monthly — Google at 148M uniques and Yahoo at 132M uniques. And Facebook alone achieved another 134M uniques. So while the unique visitors across these 3 sites are not mutually exclusive, there are 414M unique user sessions in the month of January 2010
Well, this is strange. January 2010 numbers from Nielsen reveal Google has 66.3% of the search market, while Yahoo has 14.5% and Microsoft has 10.9% across its various properties. Google is 4x more than Yahoo and 6x more than Microsoft.
Inside Google’s Secret Search Algorithm
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/zzkIcilnJp4/inside-googles-secret-search-algorithm
Wired’s Steven Levy takes us inside the “algorithm that rules the web“—Google’s search algorithm, of course—and if you use Google, it’s kind of a must-read. PageRank? That’s so 1997.
It’s known that Google constantly updates the algorithm, with 550 improvements this year—to deliver smarter results and weed out the crap—but there are a few major updates in its history that have significantly altered Google’s search, distilled in a helpful chart in the Wired piece. For instance, in 2001, they completely rewrote the algorithm; in 2003, they added local connectivity analysis; in 2005, results got personal; and most recently, they’ve added in real-time search for Twitter and blog posts.
The sum of everything Google’s worked on—the quest to understand what you mean, not what you say—can be boiled down to this:
This is the hard-won realization from inside the Google search engine, culled from the data generated by billions of searches: a rock is a rock. It’s also a stone, and it could be a boulder. Spell it “rokc” and it’s still a rock. But put “little” in front of it and it’s the capital of Arkansas. Which is not an ark. Unless Noah is around. “The holy grail of search is to understand what the user wants,” Singhal says. “Then you are not matching words; you are actually trying to match meaning.”
Oh, and by the way, you’re a guinea pig every time you search for something, if you hadn’t guessed as much already. Google engineer Patrick Riley tells Levy, “On most Google queries, you’re actually in multiple control or experimental groups simultaneously.” It lets them constantly experiment on a smaller scale—even if they’re only conducting a particular experiment on .001 percent of queries, that’s a lot of data.
Be sure to check out the whole piece, it’s ridiculously fascinating, and borders on self-knowledge, given how much we all use Google (sorry, Bing). [Wired, Sweet graphic by Wired's Mauricio Alejo]
"We Are Not Prepared"
The Policy Center’s vice-president reports “”The general consensus of the panel today was that we are not prepared to deal with these kinds of attacks.”
The nightmarish scenario that unfolded represented a worst-case example. As former secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff noted, many cyberattacks can be stopped if individual cell phone or Internet users simply follow the best practices and use the right tools. Similarly, another participant pointed out that private Internet companies would not sit idly by as a virus ran amok.
A collapse of power across the U.S. also only took place when the simulation brought in factors such as high demand during the summer, a hurricane that had damaged power supply lines, and coordinated bombings that accompanied the cyberattack and subsequent failure of the Internet.
Still, the war game highlighted crucial issues about the government’s own reliance upon communications that might go down during a real-life scenario. One of the biggest problems was how the President ought to respond to a situation that caused damage like warfare but lacked an immediately identifiable foreign adversary. Smaller-scale cyberattacks have already complicated real-world diplomacy, such as the alleged Chinese cyberattacks on Google and other U.S. companies.
Ares Defense Blog questioned a curious missing element from the simulation, in that there was no mention of what happened to phone or Internet service in the rest of the world. Surely a nation that decided to launch cyberattacks against the U.S. would take safeguards to protect its own crucial communication services, which would possibly help U.S. officials narrow down the list of suspects.
Another question seemed more mundane but equally important — how would the government activate the National Guard with cell phone service down?
The Pentagon’s DARPA science lab recently pushed for a “Cyber Genome Program” that could trace digital fingerprints to cyberattack culprits. But identifying whether a cyber attack came from individual civilians, shadowy hacker associations or government cyber-warriors has proven tricky in the meantime.
[via Ares Defense Blog]
WTF Is Google Doing? [Google]
I don’t understand Google Shopper. Not because the function—searching for books, CDs, DVDs and more by using the cover art or barcode—is confusing. But because they already have a visual search app built into new Android phones, Goggles.
Goggles does the same thing: You take a picture of something, like a book cover, and it searches for it. I get that Shopper is slightly different, with more of a direct Amazon-competitive slant, since you can bookmark products to buy them later (presumably through Google Checkout).
But why not just integrate that into Goggles? Why the hell does this separate other product exist? Like Fake Steve says, WTF is going on over there? Android and Chrome OS? Wave and Buzz? (Okay, Buzz and Wave aren’t an entirely fair comparison, though try explaining them to a normal person.) Now Goggles and Shopper? Am I just missing something? [Google]
How to tell who has Google Buzz … and follow them
Lots of people have asked if I have invites for Google Buzz … but I didn’t see a way to invite them … but here’s a trick to give them buzz
1. go into Google Buzz
2. Click the link that says “Following X people”
3. scroll all the way to the bottom of the popup window
4. select contacts link
5. type a letter — e.g. “a” and see the list of others who have Buzz, who you can follow
6. select them and click add, then refresh the screen by clicking “load more” so you see them in the list
The 22 Immutable Laws No Longer Apply
The habits of modern consumers and their expectations have so drastically changed the landscape into which marketing and advertising campaigns are launched that what held true in the “golden age of advertising” no longer holds true at this, the dawn of the “golden age of the individual.”
In the classic “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,” Al Ries and Jack Trout expound on laws that are rooted in the ability to use storytelling to weave spellbinding brands and evoke emotion-filled loyalty. However, as the balance of power shifted away from advertisers to the people they used to target, the game has changed.
Increasingly, individuals prefer to do their own research rather than just take advertisers’ word for it. Individuals need greater levels of detailed information than can be conveyed in a :30 spot, a one page ad, or a radio spot. More individuals are empowered with information that is likely to have been created by other individuals (e.g., product reviews, blog posts) instead of advertisers.
Read on 22 Immutable Laws no Longer Apply
LaraMSi hope b-schools are listening! http://ow.ly/14QX8
BrennaEliseReading: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/azMzyH
R_OtterstromRT @oliversudotcom: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – what do you think about this article? http://ow.ly/15xj1
oliversudotcomThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – what do you think about this article? http://ow.ly/15xj1
acfouImmutable Law 5: Own a word in the prospect’s mind – what’s Apple? great design, ease-of-use, music, or computers? – http://bit.ly/aRfkiY
coopermediaonly“The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply” – http://ow.ly/15hQj
connectwithcoop“The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply” – http://ow.ly/15hQa
jeetblogThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – http://www.clickz.com/3636379
dougdavidoff@toddsattersten I had the same feeling about it (http://tinyurl.com/yjye2fl )
dougdavidoff@toddsattersten did you read this: http://tinyurl.com/yjye2fl? Interesting take on applicability of Immutable Laws.
KKilnerRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
bottreeRT @tweetmeme The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
inggitaRT @durjoy: My pal Augustine Fou @ClickZ skewers the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
acfouWhich too-clever-for-anyone, too-over-the-top-sleazy, or too-brand-perfumey-that-it-makes-me-gag ads did u see ystrday? http://bit.ly/aRfkiY
ntortorellaThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/9DZhYs
sluuAn interesting blog about how The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/bb8MOd – (via @clickz)
TechValidateVery interesting read. Classic marketing dogma is not true anymore. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply. http://ow.ly/14QX8
durjoyMy pal Augustine Fou @ClickZ skewers the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
TobyDivaaugustine fou looks at marketing thru a social lens & updates ries & trout’s 22 rules http://ow.ly/153oo
IdeafoodARTICLE: The 22 immutable laws of marketing no longer apply. http://bit.ly/kent914 (via @KentHuffman)
AIM2meRT @clickz Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/bb8MOd but don’t forget the basics http://bit.ly/bmIIDF
acfouImmutable Law 3: advertisers often misinterpret that they can buy their way into the prospects’ minds by shouting loud http://bit.ly/aRfkiY
andressilvaa@warpx These Marketing Laws are very good and excellent tips: http://bit.ly/kent914 (via @KentHuffman)
andressilvaa@warpx These Marketing Laws are very good excellent tips: http://bit.ly/kent914 (via @KentHuffman)
davidhughanThe 22 immutable laws of #marketing no longer apply by @ClickZ http://bit.ly/c56rVy
jack2ussrDo you really believe? 
@ramonthomas The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://www.clickz.com/3636379
subbuu22 Immutable Laws of Marketing no longer applies http://j.mp/92GpRz Controversy brewing…
jannekorpiGreat article – How the laws of marketing have changed http://bit.ly/azMzyH
azalec22 Immutable Laws of Marketing no longer apply; balance of power has shifted from advertisers to those being targeted. http://bit.ly/91w7Yk
tfanelliInteresting read – The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ: http://www.clickz.com/3636379
MarySicardBlasphemy! “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply,” says Augustine Fou. http://twurl.nl/dnvzqq
hainguyenVThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – Augustine Fou. Interesting post http://bit.ly/azMzyH
astridguillonRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
LaunchiteThe immutable laws of marketing, re-examined in the digital/social media age http://bit.ly/bTDPK8
DCCommercialREThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd http://fb.me/5k34bZe
HAustinERT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
oliversudotcomRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
lohhw3RT @brandconsultant: Brilliant article on the death of #positioning http://bit.ly/azMzyH #advertising #malaysia #singapore #indonesia
thebfceWithTwitter, stupidity spreads even faster…The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
brandconsultantBrilliant article on the death of #positioning http://bit.ly/azMzyH #advertising #malaysia #singapore #indonesia
andressilvaa@warpx They are very good Marketing Laws: http://bit.ly/kent914 (via @KentHuffman)
Vanessa_BrightThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://ow.ly/14G6g
steve_suttonRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
SweetLoveGiftsA must read! RT @clickz via @jimcaruso: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
Vanessa_BrightRT @KentHuffman: The 22 immutable laws of marketing no longer apply: http://bit.ly/kent914
samanthastoneRT @DebbieMarchok. RT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
michaelredwoodRT @DebbieMarchok: RT @marketing_chief Shaking it up. RT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
DebbieMarchokRT @marketing_chief Shaking it up. RT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
jimcarusoRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
vivosityRT @GuyKawasaki: How immutable are the immutable laws of marketing? http://ow.ly/1o9Y82
MarketingRagRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply. Augustine Fou takes them apart on ClickZ. http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
faragodgRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
veneredimiloRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
rCrosbySticklesThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://www.clickz.com/3636379
brandconsultantFinally someone else who believes positioning & other mass economy models no longer apply http://bit.ly/azMzyH #marketing #positioning
RellyMeltzerThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://www.clickz.com/3636379
acfouNo one knows you, the small fish in a big pond? Make a new pond? The mktng problem then becomes no one knows your pond: http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
italianpassionRT @andressilvaa: ARTICLE: The 22 immutable laws of marketing no longer apply. http://bit.ly/kent914 (via @KentHuffman)
apkalnsEven “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” evolve & transform: http://www.clickz.com/3636379 #marketing #change
andressilvaaARTICLE: The 22 immutable laws of marketing no longer apply. http://bit.ly/kent914 (via @KentHuffman)
ChrisCopywriterhttp://www.clickz.com/3636379 http://fb.me/58F8vCW
UKSEOSpecialistThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/azMzyH
vvpreethamThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://ow.ly/14wJp
saintmoonriverRT @ramonthomas: Al Ries and Jack Trout’s The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://www.clickz.com/3636379
ramonthomasAl Ries and Jack Trout’s The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://www.clickz.com/3636379
markvanbaale“Traditional “push” advertising is like a thief breaking into your home at dinnertime and shouting at your family” – http://bit.ly/azMzyH
nickwredenWhy “positioning” theory &”22 immutable laws” are no longer true & will hurt your brand. Great Clickz article. http://bit.ly/azMzyH
AbsatzlehreBy @-davidhughan Great read: The 22 immutable laws of #-marketing no longer apply by @ClickZ http://bit.ly/c56rVy
davidhughanGreat read: The 22 immutable laws of #marketing no longer apply by @ClickZ http://bit.ly/c56rVy
jennycoupeThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ: http://www.clickz.com/3636379 via @addthis
TimCohnThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/aOMY3Q
jpoloObserving: “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ”, http://bit.ly/baH32k
MichaelMyersThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing that No Longer Apply: http://bit.ly/azMzyH
CarrieK_IEGRT @KMGDePaul: Why the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://ow.ly/1o9Y82
KMGDePaulWhy the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://ow.ly/1o9Y82
KenRobbinsRT @kraigguffey: RT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
CavalierPaleRT @elneco The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
elnecootra visión a las clásicas “22 leyes inmutables del mkt” http://www.clickz.com/3636379
webexecutivesMARKETING: @acfou’s take on how and why the first 7 of “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” have changed (http://j.mp/aFxKrP ).
RogersParkCoCRT @whatworks: How the Laws of Marketing Have Changed http://ow.ly/14mSC (via ClickZ)
normbondThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/a8bbGa
fishermarketingExcellent! RT @whatworks How the Laws of Marketing Have Changed http://ow.ly/14mSC (via ClickZ)
AnibalDoRosarioGolden Age of Ads Laws no longer valid in Golden Age Of The Individual “The 22 Laws of Marketing” no longer applicable: http://bit.ly/bGert9
whatworksHow the Laws of Marketing Have Changed http://ow.ly/14mSC (via ClickZ)
vickysjonesThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/acONli
bmelchiorThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/acONli
MCNAffiliatesRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
manfredkisslingThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ: http://www.clickz.com/3636379 via @addthis
hbgcoachingRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
steprincipatoRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd #marketing
gburkeThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply (Part 1, Rules 1-7) http://bit.ly/90f8Us
gregg_makuchChallenge conventional wisdom – The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – http://bit.ly/azMzyH
shaziaparwezRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
ForwardProIt’s always time to rethink marketing: http://bit.ly/acONli
pamdyer“The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” revisited http://bit.ly/btL7VC Column: They no longer apply in new landscape
jasoncerconeThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply http://bit.ly/azMzyH
nickromRT @tweetmeme The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
dancommatorThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply #marketing #marketingstrategy http://bit.ly/azMzyH
CGFSyncresisRT @clickz The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply – ClickZ http://bit.ly/bb8MOd
Dan_AgnewPeople still arguing “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,” but it’s still great food for thought: http://bit.ly/acONli
acfouFALSE: 1st Immutable Law – It is better to be first than it is to be better; today it is better to be better – http://bit.ly/aRfkiY
DaintyNinjaHow the laws that governed the “golden age of advertising” are no longer valid in this “golden age of the individual.” http://bit.ly/acONli
craiglandesNice work: The 22 Immutable Laws No Longer Apply in the “golden age of the consumer” @acfou – http://bit.ly/aRfkiY
FiurInformationTraditional marketers making the shift take note! The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply (http://bit.ly/acONli ) #in
acfouThe 22 Immutable Laws No Longer Apply in the “golden age of the consumer” @acfou – http://bit.ly/aRfkiY
Superbowl 44 Ads That Made It
Sadly only 2 made it on Google’s Hot Trends today (Day 1) after Superbowl 44. We may hit ZERO on Day 2.
Last year, by Day 3, the advertisers who paid for Superbowl ads dropped off the Hot Trends list.
See The Ephemerality of Superbowl Halo http://bit.ly/bUZJb6
Yep, like I said, by Day 2 (Feb 9) the 2 that were on dropped off. But Denny’s made the top 20 …
Aardvark Publishes A Research Paper Offering Unprecedented Insights Into Social Search
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IMDRrISRf-8/
In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin published a paper[PDF] titled Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Search Engine, in which they outlined the core technology behind Google and the theory behind PageRank. Now, twelve years after that paper was published, the team behind social search engine Aardvark has drafted its own research paper that looks at the social side of search. Dubbed Anatomy of a Large-Scale Social Search Engine, the paper has just been accepted to WWW2010, the same conference where the classic Google paper was published.
Aardvark will be posting the paper in its entirety on its official blog at 9 AM PST, and they gave us the chance to take a sneak peek at it. It’s an interesting read to say the least, outlining some of the fundamental principles that could turn Aardvark and other social search engines into powerful complements to Google and its ilk. The paper likens Aardvark to a ‘Village’ search model, where answers come from the people in your social network; Google is part of ‘Library’ search, where the answers lie in already-written texts. The paper is well worth reading in its entirety (and most of it is pretty accessible), but here are some key points:
- On traditional search engines like Google, the ‘long-tail’ of information can be acquired with the use of very thorough crawlers. With Aardvark, a breadth of knowledge is totally reliant on how many knowledgeable users are on the service. This leads Aardvark to conclude that “the strategy for increasing the knowledge base of Aardvark crucially involves creating a good experience for users so that they remain active and are inclined to invite their friends”. This will likely be one of Aardvark’s greatest challenges.
- Beyond asking you about the topics you’re most familiar with, Aardvark will actually look at your past blog posts, existing online profiles, and tweets to identify what topics you know about.
- If you seem to know about a topic and your friends do too, the system assumes you’re more knowledgeable than if you were the only one in a group of friends to know about that topic.
- Aardvark concludes that while the amount of trust users place in information on engines like Google is related to a source website’s authority, the amount they trust a source on Aardvark is based on intimacy, and how they’re connected to the person giving them information
- Some parts of the search process are actually easier for Aardvark’s technology than they are for traditional search engines. On Google, when you type in a query, the engine has to pair you up with exact websites that hold the answer to your query. On Aardvark, it only has to pair you with a person who knows about the topic — it doesn’t have to worry about actually finding the answer, and can be more flexible with how the query is worded.
- As of October 2009, Aardvark had 90,361 users, of whom 55.9% had created content (asked or answered a question). The site’s average query volume was 3,167.2 questions per day, with the median active user asking 3.1 questions per month. Interestingly, mobile users are more active than desktop users. The Aardvark team attributes this to users wanting quick, short answers on their phones without having to dig for anything. They also think people are more used to using more natural language patterns on their phones.
- The average query length was 18.6 words (median of 13) versus 2.2-2.9 words on a standard search engine. Some of this difference comes from the more natural language people use (with words like “a”, “the”, and “if”). It’s also because people tend to add more context to their queries, with the knowledge that it will be read by a human and will likely lead to a better answer.
- 98.1% of questions asked on Aardvark were unique, compared with between 57 and 63% on traditional search engines.
- 87.7% of questions submitted were answered, and nearly 60% of them were answered within 10 minutes. The median answering time was 6 minutes and 37 seconds, with the average question receiving two answers. 70.4% of answers were deemed to be ‘good’, with 14.1% as ‘OK’ and 15.5% were rated as bad.
- 86.7% of Aardvark users had been asked by Aardvark to answer a question, of whom 70% actually looked at the question and 38% could answer. 50% of all members had answered a question (including 75% of all users who had ever actually interacted with the site), though 20% of users accounted for 85% of answers.
Why Job Seekers Should Worry About Their Online Reputation
Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/online-reputation-important-for-jobs/12582/
If you are looking for a job or are a potential job-seeker, be very careful of what you write or share online because HR departments and recruitment professionals are scanning tweets, blog posts, photos, and other online profiles of job candidates before offering them positions.
Why Online Reputation Management is Important
Around 70% of hiring managers in in US have rejected candidate just because of their online reputation. The chart looks at the various types of online information that have led companies to reject candidates.
Tomorrow is Data Privacy Day and this research (download PPT) was originally commissioned by Microsoft as part of the same initiative.
Other than Microsoft, Google, Intel, AT&T are also part of the Data Privacy Day group. You should also check their site as it contains some excellent resources on how companies, students and parents can better protect their online information.
Why Job Seekers Should Worry About Their Online Reputation
Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.
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