Re: AltaVista Testing Paid Search Results

From: Matthew da Silva <mdasilva_at_ibd.yamatake.co.jp>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 07:03:46 -0500 (CDT)

IAN DOUGLAS WROTE:
> Odd that you mentioned libraries.... My own 'brilliant idea'
> for solving the search problem is to implement a kind of
> Dewey Decimal Number (DDN) system for the web. Each web page
> could have a meta-tag with a DDN in it, indicating the
> precise topic(s) that the web page is about. A suitable
> engine could then index these and allow the resulting
> database to be searched.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not odd; dead on target. Professional searchers work in
libraries -- public and corporate -- and perform competitive
analysis, marketing research and other value-added tasks
using 'Net search engines among other interfaces. Their
training in ontological framing boosts their ongoing
activities in negotiating the 'traps and speedways' of the
Web. There are tricks to searching such as which engines to
use for which languages; what words to employ and the amount
of detail tolerated by different 'engines; how to get
sensitive information and how to avoid the marketing
hyperbole; what to discard and what to keep. There is such
a diversity of capabilities and when it comes to
multi-lingual searching the problems just multiply.

In future, I see a need for Librarians' involvement in major
classification projects. The most significant of these is
possibly able to forever change the purchasing paradigm.
Unfortunately, because it is currently being shepherded by
committees and professional negotiators, there are few
people taking an interest outside the groups involved. I'd
like to see some participation by people from the e-trade
groups in these discussions since the acquisition and
management of shared information impacts not only the way
that online advertising will evolve, it also impacts the
benefits of the 'Net to purchasers and suppliers of
commodities and higher-value-added goods and services.


IAN DOUGLAS WROTE:
> 3. How do you persuade millions of web authors to adopt this
> standard?
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The big problem arising here is bringing meta-tagging into
the spotlight within each qualified, vertical market
segment, where the extensibility features of XML can be
fixed as ontologies. A new searching model would change
traditional purchasing where advertising creates awareness
of brands, and a market-leader relies on the power of its
brands to maintain its profitability.


IAN DOUGLAS WROTE:
> 4. The existing Dewey Decimal Number system will likely need
> to be expanded and refined for the web. It would be nice if
> this could be done by a standards body like W3C.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God save them from such a mammoth undertaking, but yes.
Actually, they cannot do this. Requirement for expert
knowledge about a broad range of technologies warrants the
involvement of such groups as CommerceNet but the relative
lack of involvement by manufacturers and vendors makes their
press releases go off flat. Independent of the
industryh-specific groups, groups like CommerceNet can do
little to change the existing trade model. But, imagining
those industry groups putting their weight behind such an
undertaking -- well, let's say it would be easier to get the
mayor of a small country town to support construction of a
highway bypass.


IAN DOUGLAS WROTE:
> 5. If they made it a standard, then (3) may fall away and
> all engines could start indexing according to the DDNs.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Big 'IF.' And not just 'engines; also web-developers and
webmonkeys. Done properly, it could change the Internet
paradigm and slash costs associated with sourcing parts.
The result for purchasing and engineering professionals
would be fewer pages online to search and refer to, less
wasted time spent reading through marketing copy, an
improvement in access times to key information and overall
more efficient information retreival.

Web development software would be enabled for the relevant,
market-specific, ontology containing qualified nomenclatures
answering to global standards. Reaching an acceptable level
of refinement wuld not be cheap. The cost to companies who
participate in the levelling of their playing fields would
be large, especially in the initial stages -- which would
see groups of companies sitting around conference tables and
standardizing on terms. But the cost in the long-term would
be exclusion from purchasers' line-cards and exclusion from
the important MRO markets.


IAN DOUGLAS WROTE:
> 6. New career paths for librarians are a possibility :-)
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read ONLINE magazine for an idea of the way library
professionals already contemplate their future; visit
http://www.onlineinc.com ...



Matthew da Silva
Online Solutions, International Business
Yamatake Corporation, Tokyo
mdasilva_at_ibd.yamatake.co.jp


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Received on Tue Apr 27 1999 - 09:29:58 CDT