RSS Feeds
Online
Google Takes a Lesson From Digg?
Posted by Mark Wilson at 1:07 AM on December 1, 2007
Taking a lesson from Digg and similar sites, Google Labs is testing out a new reader response interface for search results (with only a select few users for a limited time). Essentially, your normal search results are enhanced with "like it" and "don't like it" buttons that would tweak the order of said results on your list. And you can also add URL results that you would have liked to receive given your search premise. Google explains:
When you search for the same keywords again, you'll continue to see those changes. If you later want to revert your changes, you can undo any modifications you've made.But your poor tastes/opinions won't screw everyone.
The system only works within browser...for now...meaning that your opinions will not affect other users. Of course, if such a system were deployed in a widespread fashion, we're guessing Google would aggregate data trends to alter search results over time for better relevance.
And would such a system be better? What do we trust more, man or machine? Or sweatshops full of children adding "Nike.com" to every query result? [google via theregister]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Zenshai
Posted 1:58 PM 30/11/07
@JeffCarr: I agree wholeheartedly.
Zenshai
Caidence
Posted 1:20 PM 30/11/07
@JeffCarr:
FRIGGEN EXACTLY!!! "Pay $10, and you'll get 20 variations of how to fix your Windows Registry problem! All in raw East-Indian English!" Let me demote that shit 10-pages down. That's for when I'm frustrated and I have my hand near my wallet.
Caidence
Caidence
Posted 1:15 PM 30/11/07
Google could easily route thalidomide-infused mutants like NCZUMA by forcing a login info for ratings and then softening the ratings as the frequency increases. Sort of like "Bob has an opinion on everything, don't take him seriously"
$10 says Google has already thought of this. I *heart* Google.
Caidence
JeffCarr
Posted 11:47 AM 30/11/07
It would be nice to eliminate expert-sexchange from all my tech related searches.
JeffCarr
loki007
Posted 10:46 AM 30/11/07
Nothing new here. iRazoo.com has done this for a while now and shares the results with users. Sure, they're no Google, but they also don't have the sponsored junk results that Google likes to populate into their search results.
loki007
Zenshai
Posted 10:45 AM 30/11/07
How do you know if you "Like it" before you clicked it? And when you did click it you navigated away from the page. I don't know about you, but if I'm looking for something and i found it I'm probably not going to go and hit 'back' to tell Google that I liked it. Especially since after I found it once I can bookmark it or easily find it again.
A better idea would be to incorporate these feedback buttons into the Google toolbar.
Zenshai
loki007
Posted 10:43 AM 30/11/07
There are already a few search engines out there with this capability. Look up iRazoo.com; at least their system shares the results with other users and gives the searchers prizes and such...
loki007
Asvetic
Posted 10:40 AM 30/11/07
That would be something, if you're looking for a specific phrase or group of words and the first results aren't what you're looking for, then you can "digg" up your results to match the search phrase giving that phrase and it's results more relevance. I like that idea, and it would apply more of social context to those results. Say you're looking for news results the social context would help make the top result also the most relevant.
I know this isn't new thinking, but it could have a pretty powerful impact for future search engine technology and social integration.
Asvetic
Jon
Posted 10:29 AM 30/11/07
I'm glad it doesn't effect other users, because then we'll end up with people like NCZUMA being a dick and screwing up my search results.
Jon
Shijirou
Posted 10:23 AM 30/11/07
Hmmm... With all that money, I think google can buy out digg...
Shijirou
nczuma
Posted 9:25 AM 30/11/07
My company relies heavily on Search Engine Marketing. This feature is something I would definitely exploit if it effected other people's results in our favor.
nczuma
whiskey
Posted 10:18 PM 30/11/07
@JeffCarr: Add to that the fake sites that say they have info on an extension to determine a filetype or a process name query only to be filled with ads (and no meaningful info).
whiskey