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Search for the Enterprise: Creating Findability

Search for the Enterprise: Creating Findability. Jean Bedord Findability and Search Consulting EContent Strategies Gilbane Conference San Francisco June 18-20, 2008. In the Beginning. Research reports at Lockheed - 40 years ago First search service, Dialog Information Services.

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Search for the Enterprise: Creating Findability

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  1. Search for the Enterprise: Creating Findability Jean Bedord Findability and Search Consulting EContent Strategies Gilbane Conference San Francisco June 18-20, 2008

  2. In the Beginning • Research reports at Lockheed - 40 years ago • First search service, Dialog Information Services

  3. More content, more data, more digital assets……. Same Problem

  4. Findability is Answers • Not so easy….. • Digital content needs metadata

  5. Metadata Varies by Asset… • Books - Cataloging • Author’s Name • Title of the Book • ISBN, etc. • Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal number • Subject Descriptors

  6. Periodical Databases • Publications • Title of article • Author’s Name • Publication Name, ISSN • Publication date • Abstract / Full Text • Subject Indexing

  7. Collection Standardization ??? • Music –Cataloging • Title of work • Lyric writer • Song writer • Performer • Instrument • Categorization of musical style

  8. Visual Images / Video • Pictures – Archives / Flickr /YouTube • Subject • Title of the Work • Photographer • Location & Date • User Generated Tags • Generally poor search implementation • Rights to use / remix

  9. Corporate Assets • Intellectual Property • Patents • Engineering drawings • Manufacturing processes • Customer Information • Purchasing History • Agreements • Product Information

  10. Vocabulary Mismatch • Missing Metadata • Categorization by domain EXPERT The Problem: • Provide answers for non-specialist

  11. Missing Metadata • Full text indexing and search is default • Adding subject terms not obvious • Microsoft Office • Adobe • Ideal – add standard descriptive terms as part of work flow

  12. The Synonym Problem • Different words • Different languages • Different contexts • Order of words Failed searches

  13. Intent ???? Choosing search terms • Expert vs. non-expert • Native language • Regional dialects • Academic training • Industry / Technology • Generation

  14. Vocabularies – Key to Metadata • Folksonomies • No consistency, limited • Controlled vocabularies • Better consistency • Lack relationships • Taxonomy / thesaurus / ontology • Relationships • Key is flexibility with multiple related terms

  15. Multiple Search Engines • Enterprises – 4 to 5 search software vendors • Departmental solutions • Ideal – same metadata structure • Workable – shared core of descriptors

  16. WAND INC. Case Study • Product and Service Taxonomies • Uses numeric codes for preferred terms, i.e. 148087 is Agricultural Equipment • Synonyms, related terms, broader terms • Terms translated into 11 languages • Harmonized with SIC, NAICS, Harmonized Codes and Yellow Page headings • Over 82,000 terms with 1.3M associated attributes covering multiple industries

  17. WAND Current Applications • Insurance Adjustors – Replacement of Consumer Electronics • Intellectual / Business Assets for Sale & Licensing • Yellow Pages • Vertical Business Directories

  18. Yellow Page Business Model • Businesses pay to be included • Need high consumer web traffic • Approximately 50% search failure rate • Failed searches problematic • Buyer frustration • Advertiser loses value

  19. Search Problems • Plurals – similar results • book / books • Spacing – very different results • video conferencing / videoconferencing • text books / textbooks • Morphological variations - varies • wedding planning catering /wedding planning caterer

  20. Search Synonym Problem • Attorneys / lawyers / law firm • slr / single lens reflex • Cellular phones /cell phone / cellulars / mobiles • Geographic Information Systems / GIS • Global Positioning Systems / GPS • Recreational vehicles / RVs Results varied greatly between synonyms

  21. Takeaways • Metadata varies by asset • Synonyms are a major cause of search failure • Expert vs. non-expert • Alternate terms • Vocabularies needed to improve findability!!!

  22. More on Findability…… • Contact Jean Bedord 408-257-9221 www.EContentStrategies.com Jean@EContentStrategies.com • Questions ?????

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