Conference slides about search engine dependency and its influence on data quality

1. SEARCH ENGINE DEPENDENCY
AND ITS INFLUENCE ON
DATA QUALITY
By Ronan CHARDONNEAU

2. Index
I - Introduction to the world of search engines
II - Risks of search engines dependency
III - How to solve the equation?
IV - Future of Google and information research
V - Conclusion
I-Introduction II-Risks III-Solutions IV-Future V-Conclusion

3. The World of Search
engines
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4. Market configuration
TOP 10 Search websites in the world for August 2007
Target: users more than 15 year-old, home and at work
Source: comscore qSearch 2.0
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5. Leaders per country
Source: map made using data on « Alexa the
Web information company (2008) ».
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6. A win or lose market
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7. Approximation of language contents
available on Internet
Source: Internet world Stats
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8. What has already been proved
• Studies are showing that Internet is the main
information provider (at least in Europe and
America);
• When surfing on the Internet search engines
are the most used websites;
• People trust search engines results;
• When making research on the Internet people
are mainly using one single search engine;
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9. Brief summary
• Google is the market leader, followers are far;
• 8 search engine leaders and probably eight
continents on Internet;
• A market defined by the adoption of standards
(<50%) to search;
• Contents are mainly in English, importance of
Chinese, quality contents in Japanese, German
and Korean;
• Internet users cannot live without search
engines and are loyal to a specific one;
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10. Risks of search engine
dependency and its influence on
data quality
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11. Definition
The behaviour of not reconsidering the results coming from one single
search engine.
It normally starts when you hear sentences such as:
- quot;Why should I bother using other search engines because I find
everything I want with Google?quot;
- Do I really have some risks when I am using Google?
- All countries in the world have Google in their top 100 or less;
- Google has been recognized as the most powerful brand;
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12. • Who is Google? Well... It is our friend;
• We can carry it everywhere, relevant, convenient(quick
display, services associated);
• But:
– You have to know how to deal with it;
– You have to know its limits;
– You have to know its potential;
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13. Consequences
• If you don’t know how to deal with it:
- You will never use his true capacities;
- You will probably take the first information which is
displayed;
• If you don't know its limits:
- And cannot find the information you will may think
that the information does not exist;
- You may even think that the technology does not
exist elsewhere;
• If you don’t know its potential:
- You will not improve at performing research;
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14. Advertisement
• Search engines economical model is based on
advertisement (99% of Google revenues are based on it);
• However studies are showing that some categories of
adults (non Internet generations) do not make the
difference between commercial and non commercial
links;
• Some search engines are more commercial than others;
• The more you know a search engine (Google) and the
more you can practise Search Engine Optimization;
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15. Google is not an isolated case
• Baidu dependency in China and Yandex dependency in
Russia;
• Seznam dependency in Czech Republic;
• Naver dependency in South Korea;
• Yahoo dependency in Japan and many others Asian
countries;
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16. Brief summary
• Search engine dependency is confortable and then
understandable;
• But for many reasons it goes for a mass consumption
information (blog phenomenon, advertisement…) which is
not the best ones;
• In our countries it is Google dependency but keep in
mind that Europe and Americas are not the center of the
world;
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17. How to solve the equation?
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18. First point
• If an answer exist... we should look for it;
• At the moment there is no miracle solution
for lazy search;
• But there are ways to get closer to the
answer;
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19. Three pillars
Learn how to use the technology
Technological awareness Breaking the habits
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20. Concrete case: Google
Learn how to use the technology:
• Make advanced research:
– Simple Boolean operators (« », links:, define:, ?, *, ~,…) ;
– Complex request: ?intitle:index.of? quot;quot; -filetype:html -filetype:asp -wiki -ringtone -filetype:htm
-posts -lyrics -filetype:shtml -filetype:php -filetype:doc -filetype:pdf -filetype:txt mpeg wma avi wmv
– Google Advanced search;
• Using other Google services such as Google Alerts;
• Use sub Google search engines such as Google Scholars;
Breaking the habits:
- Get used to practice what you learnt and force
yourself to do so;
- Results are coming and you get used to it;
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21. Concrete case: Google
Technological awareness:
By performing better at search you will discover new
technologies that you will have to learn.
For example: Google Alerts tell you that a new search
engine is coming up and then you try it;
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22. Technological awareness: Google
Google Advanced Search
Do you know
iGoogle?
Google Ads
When Google promotes its own technology good chances that it is worthwhile
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23. Technological awareness: How to
select the best
• Search engine market is a world of buzz:
• Where every search engine want to beat Google;
• But are they really providing a technical
revolution?
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24. Start to look at what Google does not have
• Real time information: the Twitter example
When Google starts to
be interested in one's
technology it should
then be a good one
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25. Start to look at what Google does not have
• Finding similar websites: Who is like it?
Unfortunately it is
working only for
popular websites
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26. Start to look at what Google does not have
Another way of searching information: Social bookmarking
Advantages: you find
unindexed websites;
Disadvantages:
rubbish websites,
advertisement?
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27. Start to look at what Google does not have
Graphical display
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28. Start to look where
Google is not the best
Look for specialized search engines
- People: 123 People, CV gadget, Pipl…
- Jobs: Indeed, JobiJoba…
- Tutorials: Tutosearch, …
- Torrent: Toorgle, …
- Scientific information: Scirus,…
- Information in a specific language: Yandex
for Russian, Baidu for Chinese….
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29. How to improve data quality on
the Internet?
• Triangle method: Locating three independent
sources that point to the same answer;
• Recent events in Tibet showed how it was
important to look at different sources of
information and even out of your own country;
Source 1: Washington Post
Source 2: Le Parisien Source 3: AntiCnn.com
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30. Brief summary
• Learn how to use, change your habits, be aware;
• Be curious
• Think about another way to look for information;
• Three dependent sources of information;
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31. Future of Google and
information research
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32. Semantic search
• You get feed instead of entering your
request;
• Everything is talking about Semantic
search;
• But it is mature yet, a buzz world again (there
are not a lot of suggestions);
• Poor results if developped on scratch (poor index)
if developped by huge companies (few
suggestions);
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33. Some issues to fix
• How to well index pictures? Are solutions such
as Google labeler are the best???
• How to index videos?
• How to index sounds?
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34. A Google which will have to change
• Too much information on the Internet;
• A Google which is collapsing and providing
more and more sub search engines;
• The development of high bandwidth
connection which mean graphical
interface;
• A technological awareness which is
difficult to transmitt;
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35. But a Google more and more
present in our life
• Forecasts are going in that sense;
• Development of OS on cell phones, Web
browser, Web software application
(Google slides, Google « excel »....)
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36. The question is just how they
will do it?
Google in 1998 Google 11 years after
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37. Brief summary
• Google will be with us in the future and we
have to get used to it;
• Information research will be more and more
assisted but you will still be in late if you
do not perform advanced research;
• In a short future some issues will still be
there (indexing of pictures…)
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38. Conclusion
I-Introduction II-Risks III-Solutions IV-Future V-Conclusion

39. What you have to keep in mind
• At least if you are dependent you should
be well dependent;
• Apply the triangle method;
• Reconsider on each time the information
process (think differently);
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40. Recommandations
Master thesis about search engine dependency:
- http://www.pandia.com/index.html
List of search engines:
- http://www.pandia.com/powersearch/index.html
- http://www.philb.com/whichengine.htm
To know more about search engines: Pandia search:
- www.pandiasearch.com
Documentaries:
- Google: Behind the screen by IJsbrand van Veelen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBNDYggyesc&hl=fr
- The Great Firewall of China
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWsXhNJFj78&hl=fr
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41. Thank you for your attention
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