3. Question…
“How many ‘internet’ searches
does Google handle a day?”
(billions)
63?
10? 91?
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2067276/Searches-Per-Day
Scott Hitchins
Twitter: @scott_hitchins
5. Can we have Google?
Scott Hitchins
Twitter: @scott_hitchins
6. Internet vs Intranet…
Internet Intranet
Easy to use
✔ ✔
Quick search results ✔ ✔
Accurate results ✔ ✔
Intelligent feedback ✗ ✔
Intranet-specific filters ✗ ✔
Content feedback ✗ ✔
Profiling of content (unique to user) ✗ ✔
Scott Hitchins
Twitter: @scott_hitchins
Story Nigel.. Last week.. Finding imagesDocument with LEGS!Turn on filter..TWO KEY points.. Search and trustPick out two obvious key words here… Search and TrustWhat do they both mean? How are they related to each other?More importantly.. what does this mean in the intranet world?
Before I begin… quick question…How many Google search a day – worldwide billionsSHOW OF HANDS - 91!
Why did I ask that?...We all know internet search engines like Google have become part of everyday life…We all know how to use them.. We’ve been using their search for years.. I remember using altavista and lycos…But why do we use them? Well today….They’ll all fast They’ll all clever and have powerful search algorithmsAnd they’re really easy to use…Well as well as all this.... There’s a level of trust involvedWe ‘trust’ they’ll return the results we’re looking for when we type in our search terms .. No rubbish resultsAnd this trust has built up over time..
Inevitably … often leads to question by staff.. “Why can’t we have a search like Google for our intranet?Well… firstly because most intranet suppliers (like us)… even the big boys… aren’t Google!BUT I’d ask ..Do we want Google??Yes… we want the speed, yes we want results quickly…But intranets are different…!
Go through points…Intranet search is managed a few people.. For a specific purpose..Google doesn’t know who you are (unless you’re logged in)Intranet cares who you are..
Within the intranet world… things are changing…Modern applications are deliveringpowerful search facilities… Intranets are gradually ditching their reputation of information dumping grounds where nobody can find anything…Gone are the days (gradually) of static sites, poor search facilities, and lack of usage and adoption (in most cases I might add).And this is gradually driving a change in behaviour… whereusers are learning to trust and use the search?But how? Essentially people need to feel that the intranet search works!That the results they were looking for will be on page 1… who looks on page 2 onwards anymore?That the results will be accurate and up to date… not documents from 1999.That the results will be quick… simple but essential. Who wants to wait for page 1 to load…?
The inclusion of modern features in help solidify this trust and differentiate between Internet search.. Filters for all types of content… about comms (blogs, questions, comments, articles, people)Data all relevant…to YOU (logged in)Up to date!Easy interfaceIntelligenceFor admin – can adjust the weightingCan even include the equivalent of Sponsored Links to promote contentTrust the ‘Brand’ of the intranet – it’s name, what it stands forReputation of the intranet..
Federated search…WIKIPEDIA.. Federated search search of multiple searchable resources. A user makes a single query requestBringing back results from other systems providing a single experience and interfaceFor example, SharePoint, shared folders (MY O Drive), and other systemsSearch Yellow Folders…This single search facility again helps drive the trust..“I can get all my results in one place”
Search is only as good as your contentTherefore making adding/maintaining content has to be easy!Suggest keywords… don’t let users guess. Suggest titlesFolksonomy – user suggested keywords…Suggest documents that already exist… avoid replication of contentProvide date/time stamps to ensure content is active when it should be … reminders..Allow users to rate content (1 star or 5 stars)Allow users to feedback on content when it’s out of date or inaccurateAll contributes to search
Security… an essential part of Trust..“I hope that Board Meeting mins document we just added is secure..”Modern intranet applications have to make security easyAnd water-tight!If there were reported instances of supposedly secure documents being accidently revealed … would be simply DISASTEROUSTrust ruined.. Might even lead to the search or intranet being disabled..Certainly panic stations
Monitoring your intranet is also important.. Another difference between INTERNET and INTRANETAs good as modern tools are in adding and maintaining content, it’s not 100%Intranet managers should analyse their intranetWhy? Look at the stats. Usage, hits, and the changes over time… amount of searchesTop contributors, non-contributors.. Who’s using the systemDocuments without ownersNo of questions asked, with right answers…All give an indication on quality of intranet and content
Again… different from the internet… intranet manager can maintain the health.. On-going basis..Amount of searches and trends.Searches with 0 resultsDocuments without keywordsFailure to findInformation black-holesAll can be monitored to ensure the intranet remains efficient and effectiveAll then feedback into search
People improving the search resultsBottom up… Is this what you were looking for? Yes or No?Couldn’t find anything … feedbackOut of date content – feedback..Just some examples of users being able to contribute to the content and ultimately enhence the search.
So how can we start to change behaviour re search?? Ties in with trust of entire intranetMany contributing factorsThis can be especially important when launching a new modern intranet…
Talking about entire trust (search being a part) - Branding plays a major role…It has been mentioed on in previous presentations… but tailoring the look/feel and giving the intranet an identity is importantStrong branding not only reinforces as company’s values and branding but says ‘we care about internal communications’An identity also helps….”Have you tried searching DAVE?’ Doesn’t sound clunky…quick statement.. One syllableCommon easy to use phrase repeated = a trust message..
Search is the way forward for majority… employees want information now… and expect their intranet search to deliverDriving behaviour to use it on an intranet is the key… Different generations will adapt at different speeds and trust levels will match these speedsFeatures helpCLICHÉ… TRUST takes time It’s different for an intranet..OLD SCHOOL… NEW SCHOOL.
And questions?
Intelligence..Why different.. for intranetsImagine being able to feedback on a search results (this isn’t what I was looking for)Feeds into intelligence.. Feeds into statistics and analyticsOR being able to suggest
How do people use intranet rather than internet..ADD Advice.. herw
