CRM News — “Beagle Research founder Denis Pombriant told CRM Buyer that the traditional method of monitoring end users was to gather information through surveys and focus groups. This approach, although widely accepted in industry, was time-consuming and sometimes prone to error. Worse, the information could
become outdated before it ever hit a CEO’s desk.”
(Thanks for the submission Daniel!)
“Indeed, Kodak’s digital cameras are now fourth in worldwide sales. The Easy Share line is widely praised for its usability. And Kodak also holds the patent on OLED technology, which is used for flat-screen displays.”
First, I didn’t really think Kodak was a player in the digital camera arena. Second, I’ve never heard of Easy Share. Is it the camera, like the article makes it sound, or is it software?
(Thanks Dano!)
“The 18th British HCI Group Annual Conference Leeds Metropolitan University, UK 6-10 September 2004″
(Thanks for the submission Daniel Szuc.)
Google Files for $2.7 Bln IPO with SEC
…now do you care that Google is a Life Management Tool?
I’m starting to think that “search engine” is a misnomer. In the past, when search engines were truly dumb, we did search. However, with the increase in search engine power and functionality, the idea of search is outdated and inappropriate.
Search engines help us solve problems. We ask them questions, we use them to hunt for information, and we use them to pinpoint data. But we’re not looking for good results just because we want specific web pages. Instead, we have questions and we use search engines to get answers. In turn, and importantly, these answers allow us to make better decisions, resolve puzzles, and more. Like understanding how the world works, and making sense of the order and chaos we experience.
Think of it this way. You might use a search engine to find a web page that gives you a great recipe. That recipe in turn helps you create a great meal. So, what you really wanted when you searched was not just a great recipe, but a great meal.
Let’s explore that idea. Wouldn’t it be great to enter information into a search engine so that you could produce a great meal? Imagine that instead of just entering text, you enter other recipes you like, ingredients in your fridge, number of people to feed, dietary restrictions, and so forth. Better still, wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to type all the data? Suppose the data was spit into the search engine via some feed from your Ghost?
Search engines are going to die eventually and they will be replaced by problem solving engines. One key to understanding this shift is to get a grasp of knowledge reuse and ontologies. And personal web servers. And web services. And parsing natural language. And so forth. Basically, technology and smart people need to be smashed together for several years.
On a related note, why do you think there are so many smart people working at Google? Oh, and think about how much Google helps you manage your life. Perhaps Google becomes a Life Management Company? As more and more of your life moves online, Google will be there to help you sort it, manage it, search it, publish it, and so forth. Google is no longer a search engine company. Not at all. If that is what you think, you are stupid. Search is merely one little piece of the pie. Sure, it is a core competency, but Google isn’t just about search any longer.
Beacon Journal — “Sometimes, in judging ourselves or others, we get caught up on the few things that aren’t going well while losing sight of the majority of things that are going well.”
HeraldNet — “I’m trying to convince my mother to move part of her savings into an Internet-based bank because physical banks are paying so little on demand deposits. Her parents lost a bundle in a Depression-era bank failure, so the idea of her savings ‘being on the Internet’ fills her with horror. Can you point me to any books, government publications or other resources designed at helping seniors get comfortable with an Internet bank?”
“Three-quarters of New Zealand households are Fly Buys members and there are few industries that Fly Buys has not yet touched. Already, it has a presence in travel, communications, insurance, petrol, electronics, building, cars, supermarkets, banking, electricity, fashion and sports retailing.”
Being an ignorant American means that I have no idea what Fly Buys is. Can someone explain? Is it just some sort of loyalty program? Is it just a New Zealand and Australian thing?
“Another key finding in the report is that hotel brands need to enhance practically every aspect of their web site to meet the increasing requirements of their major customer segments. Less than 19% of all visitors to branded hotel web sites characterized their experience as excellent. Hospitality sites have much to do to increase user satisfaction and our report points the way.”
eBay — “I think it’s funny that one picture makes it look like the chest plate off an Imperial Storm Trooper. Did I mention that all I want is a ball game and beer? Cheap at twice the price. Ladies, you won’t regret this. You may regret the dude you marry but not the dress.”
Get a good laugh and view this item!
MediaPost — “New ad models that are beginning to attract attention and even real dollars. They are also generating positive marketing results. They are: social networking, local search marketing, blogging, and broadband video.”
What about RSS ads?
ACM Queue — “The user is left with a significant task of reading or scanning the retrieved results to determine whether they actually have the information sought and to figure out whether and how to rephrase a request to see if any relevant documents were missed. This article describes what I have learned from years of thinking about these problems and from a research project at Sun Microsystems Laboratories that combines the respective strengths of humans and computers in a knowledge-based system to help people find information.”
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