Bigmouthmedia search engine news: seo

Powerset, go! An evolutionary step for search?

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The goal of Powerset since its inception in 2005 was to be a search engine that does not search based on keywords alone, but tries to understand and focus on natural language processing with the aim of making the search process more natural and intuitive.

The launch of Powerset's showcase (which is more or less the search engine without the web crawl) aims to demonstrate the potential of this new approach to search. Presently, Powerset queries only Wikipedia and then uses data from Freebase to augment the results, with little need for ranking algorithms to sort the good results from the bad. Making it tricky to determine how much of an effect they will have on the search market as a whole.

Users can, however, witness the effectiveness of Powerset's ability to retrieve information quickly. For example, someone doing research on a subject can use Powerset to potentially remove several steps of the process before getting to the final information they require, particularly if the information needed is on a variety of different web pages. This is due to Powerset's ability to make some sense of the content included on Wikipedia pages, structuring it and the inserting it into results, rather than just picking out keywords in your query that match those of web pages.

Powerset is also indexing web pages far differently to many other search engines. Instead of recording content to match keyword queries, they are trying to create an understanding of the page's content in order to match it meaningfully to queries later - whether the page contains matching keywords or not

It seems that Powerset aren't in the position to index the entire web just yet due to the expense of the process - Powerset's method requires considerable time and computer power dedicated to a web page. According to TechCrunch, the company has so far raised $12.5 million (with close to $8 million in additional bridge loans from investors) but to index the entire web will a large amount of additional financing for Powerset. This could very well explain the reports that investment bank Allen & Co. are currently shopping the company to potential buyers, reports that broke just a day before the launch of Powerset's showcase.

There has been criticism from some that Powerset's goal of redefining the search process for millions of users is a touch on the "lofty" side to say the least. Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch argued that search engine users are too set in their ways to dramatically change how they peruse information. "If Powerset's going to change those habits, good luck. Getting inside the minds and whispering "type longer" isn't going to be fun."

Despite such criticism, a number of search aficionados have concurred that whether Powerset achieve their goal of redefining search or not, they're certainly trying to do something fairly special, and ruffling the feathers of the search engine elite along the way!

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Yahoo! unveils new visual search results

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Yahoo! has unveiled Glue Pages Beta on Yahoo! India Search; a new style of search result, similar to Google's Universal Search system. The new pages replace the usual text list with a broad and visual selection of news articles, videos, images, Wikipedia entries and more along with the standard search results.

Glue Pages offer a more visual result than the standard Yahoo! results page, though the option to use the standard pages is still available, and they aim to produce a more natural search experience for the user. By combining a selection of results, Glue Pages offer enough information for quick fact checking and as well as a large base from which to expand your search.

A result for a celebrity or public figure, such as George W Bush, returns a short biography from Wikipedia, and selection of images, videos and Yahoo! Answers, while a search for diabetes has several encyclopaedia entries as well as news, blogs and Yahoo! Groups.

At the moment Yahoo Glue only works with certain categories (sports, travel, entertainment, health, finance and technology) where the topic is broad enough to have many results from a wide range of sources, and there is some diversity in the layout of the as well as the content. For example, the result pages for a search for "diabetes" and "George W Bush" look quite different.

It is expected that Yahoo! will roll out this feature across their other sites throughout the year - so look out for a new (sticky) image search application in town.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Microsoft's failed takeover bid for Yahoo!: trends and implications

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

If you have an internet connection and spend any time at all browsing the headlines, then you must have heard about Microsoft's plan to buyout Yahoo!. When the news first got out in early February 2008, it shook the very foundations of the Search world.

Yahoo! was one of the first search engines to pioneer and dominate the search market following its incorporation on March 1, 1995 - before which Yahoo! was essentially a couple of guys who wanted to keep track of their interests online.

The reasons for Microsoft's intended buyout were obvious: eliminate the competition and expand in order to effectively compete in the search market - and with $44 billion on the table, popular search engine Yahoo! seemed like a logical choice, especially with Google breathing down the necks of both parties.

Microsoft's offer had many implications, both internal - in the shape of products and services offered - and external. in terms of market trends and stock prices. When the news of the bid was first released, following the departure of Yahoo!'s former CEO, Terry Semel, Yahoo!'s stock prices went through the roof, with a jump from $19.18 per share to $28.38 in one day.

After this time, the stock started fluctuating wildly in anticipation of Yahoo!'s decision (or lack thereof), and ending with a dive from $28.67 to $24.37 per share.

During this period, Yahoo!'s technical search team was very busy with new gadgets and functionalities, and new products streamed out of Yahoo!'s labs. In recent months there have been many beta releases and functionalities, some very interesting, others predicted to have no more than a short life span.

All Yahoo!'s new functionalities can be found on Yahoo!'s Search Blog. One of the most interesting innovations has been the recent shift towards an open search infrastructure (project code: SearchMonkey), which enables third parties to build and present their own customised search result entries.

Other fascinating developments are the extension of Search Assist to countries other than the US, and the introduction of SearchScan, which looks out for browser exploits, dangerous downloads and unsolicited email within its returned search results.

It seems that Microsoft's offer may have helped Yahoo!'s period of creativity to flourish - by giving them the impetus to show their fighting spirit. Or perhaps Yahoo!'s developments would have been progressing just as efficiently without the deal hanging over their heads - either way, the long-term effect of the failure of the Yahoo!-Microsoft deal on the search pioneer's stock prices will be key to deciding the path it will take in months to come.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Google and IBM 'increase efforts to dominate cloud computing'

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Google and IBM are "ramping up" their efforts to dominate cloud computing, it has been suggested.

According to reports in InformationWeek, the firms' chief executive officers made a joint appearance at a recent IBM conference in Los Angeles during which they revealed that they intend to build a worldwide network of servers.

The news source states: "[The cloud] will tap everything from online soccer schedules to advanced engineering applications."

Commenting on the initiative, Google's Eric Schmidt said: "It's the story of our lifetime," adding that the alliance between the companies started a couple of years ago when Sam Palmisano of IBM contacted Google wanting to know its thoughts about so-called "distributed computing".

During the conference address, Mr Palmisano stated that both IBM and Google are "grounded in values" and share "a common technical alignment".

The IBM-Google cloud runs on Linux, a computer operating system and example of free software and open source development.

Google has already released a number of free, cloud-based services to consumers, but, according to InformationWeek, it has "barely tapped the lucrative commercial market".

Speaking of the search engine provider's alliance with IBM, Mr Schmidt stated: "The cloud has higher value in business, that's the secret to our collaboration."

Although the executives did not make any specific announcements regarding when the firms would begin rolling out production versions of their cloud computing services, they reportedly "left little doubt" that their efforts are accelerating.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Microsoft 'to unseat current Yahoo! board'

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

With the deadline for Yahoo! to accept Microsoft's takeover proposal now past, Microsoft may be set to unseat the search engine provider's board, it has been suggested.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the software and internet giant is "understood to be preparing to wage a proxy battle against Yahoo!".

The publication states that the move is "part of [Microsoft's] next step to attempt to wrestle control of the business as it aims to go head-to-head with Google in the lucrative internet search market".

If Microsoft was successful in taking over control of the board, it would use the newly appointed directors to rescind a current Yahoo! clause which prevents an investor from purchasing more than 15 per cent of the firm on the open market - a rule intended to prevent hostile takeovers.

Microsoft has already identified ten directors to replace the current Yahoo! board, the Telegraph reports.

They include Edward Meyer - former head of Grey Global Group - and John Chapple, who used to be chief executive of Nextel Partners.

Last week, Chris Liddell, Microsoft's chief financial officer, stated that the failure of Yahoo! to enter into negotiations would cause Microsoft to examine its alternatives.

He stated: "These alternatives clearly include taking an offer to Yahoo! shareholders or withdrawing our proposal and focusing on other opportunities."

Meanwhile, Scott Kessler, a technology analyst at Standard & Poor's, added that he does not expect Microsoft to walk away from a possible deal.

He commented: "This is something Microsoft has been thinking about and working towards for the better part of two years. Microsoft's the kind of company that says what it does and does what it says," the Guardian reports.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Yahoo!-Microsoft deal deadline passes

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The deadline of April 26th set by Microsoft for Yahoo! to come to an agreement over a possible takeover has passed.

Now, Microsoft must decide whether to walk away from the deal it proposed or whether to pursue a hostile takeover of Yahoo!.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the decision currently facing Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, concerning Yahoo! is "one of the biggest" of his career.

Sources close to the matter told the publication that there had been no direct contact between the two firms over the weekend.

They added that Microsoft was unlikely to take action today (Monday April 28th).

The WSJ goes on to suggest that, after publically announcing that Microsoft will take its case directly to Yahoo!'s shareholders in a letter sent by Mr Ballmer on April 5th, it is unlikely that Microsoft will end its pursuit.

It states: "Abandoning the bid following his public sabre rattling might damage his own credibility as well as Microsoft's."

However, during a conference call with reporters last week, Chris Liddell, Microsoft's chief financial officer, stated that the firm is prepared to withdraw its offer to buy Yahoo! and believes it is capable of achieving success in the online advertising market whether it acquires the search engine provider or not.

Spokespeople for both Microsoft and Yahoo! - which maintains that Microsoft's offer is an undervaluation - declined to comment on the issue.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Where do searchers go after leaving Ask UK?

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

With the Microsoft-Yahoo-Google tangle dominating search headlines for the last two months, it's been a quiet time for Ask.

The exit of then CEO Jim Lanzone in January was followed by a change in direction from the search engine, which has aimed to concentrate on appealing to and retaining its most loyal followers.

However, recent research by comScore has revealed that Ask's new strategy might not be working as well as it hopes - at least in the UK. According to the figures, Google receives more traffic from users leaving Ask UK than eBay and Microsoft sites, its two closest rivals, combined. March's figures from comScore show that YouTube, Google Search, Blogger properties and Google Maps are highly ranked outgoing traffic sites.

ComScore's Media Metrix "outgoing traffic losses" report indicates the web properties that users browse after visiting Ask UK. The top outgoing traffic sites are dominated by search engines, social networks and portals.

1. Google Sites
2. eBay
3. Microsoft Sites
4. Ask Network
5. Yahoo! Sites
6. BBC Sites
7. Facebook
8. Bebo
9. Wikipedia Sites
10. Yellow Book Network

The combined top ten accounts for nearly 30% of Ask UK's outgoing traffic losses - and the outgoing top ten is a near mirror image of the incoming top ten.

1. Google Sites
2. Microsoft Sites
3. eBay
4. Ask Network
5. Yahoo! Sites
6. BBC Sites
7. AOL
8. Facebook
9. Virgin Media
10. Amazon Sites

ComScore's incoming and outgoing traffic rankings include traffic generated by click through activity, but also takes into account users entering new addresses in their browser bar or selecting bookmarks.

Ask's current CEO is Jim Safka, who also runs IAC's investment arm Primal Ventures. In March, bigmouthmedia reported on Ask's change of direction, through which it hopes to gain the patronage of women searching for information on entertainment and health.

At the time, Charlene Li - an analyst for Forrester Research - (perhaps prophetically) claimed: "It's a smart move. I still think Ask has great technology but it's just really hard to fight against Google."

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Google discusses image search engine VisualRank

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Google has revealed details of new image recognition software methods which will be used to facilitate online image searching.

Speaking at the International World Wide Web Conference in China, Google scientists described VisualRank, an algorithm for combining image recognition techniques with methods for ranking images that look the most similar, the New York Times reports.

According to the Google experts, image analysis is still a largely unsolved problem in the field of computer science.

As looking at all indexed images would be impractical, Google has reportedly focused on a subset of the images it has catalogued in order to analyse and compare the digital images.

However, the scientists stated that its Google Image Search is the "most comprehensive image search on the web".

Google says it has concentrated on the most popular product queries on its product search, including words such as Xbox, Zune and iPod.

A team of 150 Google employees has been working on creating a scoring system for the relevance of images related to these products.

According to the researchers, as a result of the work they have done, 83 per cent fewer irrelevant images were returned in searches.

Commenting on the exercise, Shumeet Baluja, a senior staff researcher at Google, said: "We wanted to incorporate all of the stuff that is happening in computer vision and put it in a web framework."

Originally announced in 2001, Google Image Search allows users to search the internet for image content.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Microsoft 'to pursue online ad market with or without Yahoo!'

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Internet and software giant Microsoft has revealed that it intends to focus on the online advertising market whether it acquires Yahoo! or not.

During a conference call with reporters concerning the firm's quarterly profits, Chris Liddell, Microsoft's chief financial officer, stated that the firm is prepared to withdraw its offer to buy Yahoo! and believes it is capable of succeeding in the market without the search engine provider.

He commented: "As we said recently to the board, unless there's progress by this weekend, we will reconsider our alternatives."

Mr Liddell added: "With respect to Yahoo!, we have been clear speed is of the essence.

"With or without a Yahoo! combination, Microsoft is focused on the online advertising market."

According to the expert, Microsoft could take the offer to Yahoo!'s shareholders or "withdraw the proposal and focus on inorganic and organic opportunities".

Yahoo! has been set a deadline of tomorrow (Saturday April 26th), by which time Microsoft will expect a formal response to its takeover proposal.

Microsoft posted a fall in profits of 11 per cent in the three months to March 31st, with the figure standing at $4.39 billion.

The news comes shortly after Yahoo! reported an increase in earnings for the first financial quarter, recording a profit of $150 million.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia

Yahoo! rolls out SearchMonkey

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Yahoo! has rolled out a limited preview of its SearchMonkey platform.

The new facility comprises a set of open source tools that enable publishers and users to annotate and enhance search results that are associated with specific websites.

It is intended as a means by which third-party web developers can improve the functionality, usefulness and appearance of Yahoo! search results.

The project was first announced during a Search Marketing Expo West conference in February.

Speaking at the event, Amit Kumar, product lead for SearchMonkey, said: "Traditionally, we talk about results and results only. The interesting thing we're adding here is the ability to annotate someone's results," Search Engine Land reported.

According to Yahoo!, the new enhancements offered by the open search platform enable publishers to add additional information that will be displayed with web search results.

For example, retailers can include product information, merchants can post details of opening hours and restaurants can include links to menus and reviews.

Writing on the Yahoo! search blog, Mr Kumar states: "Site owners can build enhanced search results that will provide searchers with a more useful experience by including links, images and name-value pairs in the search results for their pages."

Additionally, users can customise their personal search experiences using applications built by or for their favourite sites.

Yahoo! says that the SearchMonkey platform is part of its theme of opening up the web for publishers and users.

Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us | Reddit | Submit to Netscape | Google Bookmark This | Furl This | Add to Yahoo MyWeb 2 | Contact bigmouthmedia