I think it's important to remember that large, general web engines like
Google are not in the "research" business like we think of tools like LN,
Factiva, etc. They are primarily marketing/advertising tools. This is by
nature bad but it's important to realize where their revenue is coming
from.
Google limits "sponsored links" to 8 per page, as does Yahoo. The links
your likely seeing are "regular" or what some call "organic results".
While these spots are not paid for, a large industry called search engine
optimization, reverse engineering the engines to try to get their clients
results to the top of the organic results. Yes, the engines DON'T directly
profit from this but the results you see are influenced by outside
organizatons. Again, this is not a good or bad issue, is the way it works.
Info pros need to deal with it.
Just last week ResourceShelf (my site) linked to a WSJ about a contest
demonstrating how easy it is to manipulate Google (and other web engines)
results.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/archives/2004_05_01_resourceshelf_archive.html#108515242400040032
So, what should you do?
1) Take Dru's advice and learn how to use general web engines is a more
advanced manner. This can really help your precision.
2) Realize that more than Google exists. Yahoo, Teoma, and Gigablast all
offer unique databases. Btw, AllTheWeb and AltaVista now use the Yahoo
database. I commented in yesterday's SF Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/26/BUG996RJLN24.DTL
Also, Teoma continues to improve.
3) Consider clustering your results with a tool like Vivisimo.
http://www.vivisimo.com
The company calls this idea "selective ignorance."
http://www.vivisimo.com/docs/overlook.pdf
4) I've talked about (for a long time) learning, collecting, and making use
of specialized web databases or retrieval tools. Just like we've always
done with traditional collection development.
We discuss all of these issue everyday on ResourceShelf. We also do our
best to list new tools.
http://www.resourceshelf.com
cheers,
gary
Quoting "Edrington, Dru" <dru.edrington@puc.state.tx.us>:
> I've noticed an increase in the number of irrelevant hits - I have to go
> deeper into the pages to find better hits. Here's an interesting
> article on the topic:
> **Coming Soon - the Death of Search Engines?
> http://www.llrx.com/features/deathsearchengine.htm
>
> Dru Edrington
> Librarian IV
> Public Utility Commission
> Austin, TX
> 512-936-7075
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu] On
> Behalf Of Elisabeth McKechnie
> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 10:57 AM
> To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: Changes to Google
>
>
> Is it just me, or has Google gone over to the Dark Side? When I have
> searched Google recently (since the IPO hit the news), my Google results
> pages start with a full page of sponsored links, in standard typeface. I
> have to go to page 2 for the true search results. Now, the maddening
> thing
> is that the sponsored links page doesn't always show up, just sometimes.
> Anyone have an explanation or comment?
>
> Elisabeth M. McKechnie, J.D., M.L.I.S.
> Associate Librarian
> UC Davis Law Library
> (530) 752-3327
>
>
-- Gary D. Price, MLIS Librarian Gary Price Library Research and Internet ConsultingVisit The ResourceShelf http://www.resourceshelf.com
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