Here’s the scoop. I’m trying to finish off my new book. The working title is Better Search Engine. Who knows if I’ll keep it or not. It kind of depends on your feedback.

In any event…

Unlike Selling Usability, this book will be posted in parts as I make progress. It’ll evolve based on your input and your feedback.

With all of that said, let’s get started. Below is CHAPTER 1 of Better Search Engine.

Be gentle. Or not. Just remember… It’s still a rough draft.

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INTRODUCTION

Better Search Engine is based on this premise:

Search engines are steaming piles of dung.

Search engines aren’t easy to use and they aren’t friendly. Stop and think about how hard you have to work when you are using a search engine. Think about how many different word combinations you are required to use to get results that actually mat-ter. Think about how the results are meaningless.

It’s a crime.

Worse, even when you get “results” out of a search engine, you don’t get answers. In your gut you know precisely what I’m talking about. You’re look-ing for meaning. You want insight. Ultimately, you want solutions. But mostly, you’re getting garbage.
You might say, “But each search generates mil-lions and millions of results!” My response would be that you’re barking up the wrong tree. Who cares about getting millions of results? At the end of the day, don’t you just want one answer? You want a so-lution handed to you on a silver platter. You want to do less work. You want to feel less pain.

You’re human.

Right now we’re all slurping down the Google Kool-Aid© and loving it. We’re getting fast food from the search engines and it’s making us all fat and weak. We’re getting results from the gutter. Listen up folks, it’s raw sewage.

GETTING OUT OF THE SWAMP

This book is about the search engine revolution that must happen. In fact, it’s happening because We The People are not getting what we want. That opportunity means money. And money drives innovation.

Smart folks are compelled to transform the search landscape. The (r)evolution is an imperative. I’m here to tell you the story of how it’s going to happen. In fact, this is what “they” are already talking about. It’s how “they” are making it happen, right under your nose. I’m acting as your Search Engine Sherpa.

The real beauty of Better Search Engine is that I explain how searching works in ways that no one has before. I wake you up. This isn’t another dull book about search engine technology. It’s about how humans really interact with search engines. It’s about how you can improve the search engine inside your company. It’s about understanding what’s com-ing next in the world of search. This is fresh meat.

Better Search Engine is part manifesto, part blueprint and part lunacy. It’ll help you exploit search engines, search engine technology, and search behaviour for maximum gain.

In short, we can turn dung into fertilizer.

I’m not kidding when I say that you don’t want your competition to get a hold of this book. By reading this, you’re getting an unfair advantage.

WHO CONTROLS THE CONCEPT OF SEARCH?

There’s very little deep thinking about search. I’m referring to search from different perspectives like psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and the like. Instead, what we typically see about search and search engine technology comes from these three sources:

• Search engine companies
• Marketing companies
• Academic research

Google and Yahoo! tell us one story. The big search engine companies dominate our thinking. They manage our perceptions through public rela-tions campaigns while they seek to build their billion dollar empires. We’re sheep.

The search engine optimization (SEO) companies give us another angle. They’re looking to “work the system” for their own financial gain. They’re small, niche players. It’s an underworld with a colourful cast of characters. At the end of the day, however, they’re just little fleas on the back of Google. They don’t control your vision of how search works. At the same time, they aren’t out to help you.

The academic research is largely impractical, or otherwise buried. Although it’s intellectually stimu-lating, the research doesn’t really have much of an impact on how we think about search or searching. The brilliant minds in the Ivory Tower don’t have much of an impact, unless they get sucked into search companies or agile start-ups. Even then, their academic research is marginalized. Again, they aren’t helping you as a user.

So, at the end of the day, our concept of search is based on what search engine companies are telling us. Google talks and we obey. On a personal level, even if you’re not exactly listening to what they say, you’re still interacting with search engines. That in-teraction is constantly shaping your perception of how search works. This implicit knowledge slithers into your mind; they’re in control like snakes. Hey constrict your air supply and could your vision.

I’ll explain why this is so important later in the book. Right now, just think about how the paradigm of search is directly influenced by the search en-gines, particularly Google. Anything you do with search must be related to how Google manages their kingdom. Stay tuned!

SEARCH IS MORE THAN SEARCH ENGINE TECHNOLOGY

I don’t have all the answers. In fact, a lot of Better Search Engine is about asking the right questions. It’s about reshaping the landscape. To make this happen we must explore the notion of search. We must dive into the core.

Let’s peel that onion.

Most people think that “search” stands for search engines, search companies and search tools. That’s all fine and dandy but let’s explore how humans really think search. Let’s examine the literal process of searching. Let’s talk about humans getting solu-tions, finding answers, and finding value. At the end of the day, that’s what matters to you and your busi-ness.

This is a bit controversial but if you want a better search engine then you have to break away from dis-cussions of search engine technology. Stop talking about the next technology you can use or install in your organization.

Search engines are very simple and very basic. Current engines give us fast responses and many re-sults. But, are we getting what matters? We are getting the sizzle, not steak. We’re getting hardware and software, not answers and solutions.

It’s time to consider the other half of the search equation: humans.

I’m going to talk a lot about the user experience (UX) and usability of search engines. Search must be defined from human point of view. Search engines should work for us not the other way around.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

• Employees of search engine companies lusting for domination
• Entrepreneurs who want to work with or against Google
• Consultants looking for a competitive edge in the world of search
• Search engine optimization (SEO) firms in need of fresh concepts
• Large companies with poorly configured intra-net search engines
• Orko, Fisto, He-Man, Roboto and King Randor

Undoubtedly, millions of people don’t care how search engines evolve. They don’t care how search will improve over the next several years. That’s up to us. They just want the fruits of our labor. It’s up to you to make the magic happen.

HOW THE BOOK PLAYS OUT

Better Search Engine is short and easy to read. I cut out the fat. I also left out dry, boring data. It’s also raw and full of conversation and probably grammatical issues and errors. Enjoy the chaos!

I ignored pretty much all the data. I drop kicked it. I also eliminated all technical references, including search engine algorithms. They aren’t relevant here. This is a book about humans, not technology.

Each chapter is written in a conversational tone. I want you to feel like you’re sitting across the table from me. You should feel like we’re having a chat about search engines and how search really works. I want you to enjoy the passion and raw enthusiasm, as if we’re talking to each other about search.

One more thing…

I set this book up so you can gobble it down in less than 3 hours. Enjoy!

~ John