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Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington

Alternative Models of Web Searching: Broadening Our Perspectives: An Exploratory Study: Preliminary Findings SIG/CON 2002. Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu. “Are you doing SIG/CON this year?”. no ok, yes.

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Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington

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  1. Alternative Models of Web Searching: Broadening Our Perspectives: An Exploratory Study: Preliminary FindingsSIG/CON 2002 Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

  2. “Are you doing SIG/CON this year?” • no • ok, yes

  3. statement of the problem • the Web is really big • lots of good (?) stuff there • Google rapidly becoming search mechanism of choice • works ok, but there are problems • worth examining alternative methods of Web searching, esp for complex, precise, Boolean-type searching problems

  4. review of the literature • as usual, examined classics of the field • J. Christ (ca. AD 30), Matthew 7:7 prediction of Google • M. de Nostradamus (14c?) prediction of Web • A. Spink et al (1999a, 1999b, 1999c) Web searching • A. Spink et al (2000 a-f) • A. Spink et al (2001 a-h) • A. Spink et al (2002 a-q) • A. Spink et al (in press a-x)

  5. methodology • comparison of 4 approaches to try to replicate modes and models of search behavior, broadly understood: • Google • Yahoo browsing • darts @ map of Web • dowsing rod w/ random URL generator

  6. methodology • Ss: • 50 undergraduates • 50 public library users (chimpanzees didn’t work out) • 20 UK darts players, local pub champions • 13 water witches

  7. methodology • queries assigned: • What is the meaning of life? • Where should I dig a well? • How about a pint? • Why do I get this sharp, stabbing pain every time I pick up a copy of JASIST? • analysis based on quality of responses as defined by searcher • considered random assignment of questions to searchers • seemed too dangerous

  8. results • differential performance by question/method/searcher • potential source of bias: didn’t analyze the water witches too closely (resistance, sticks, witches) • darts  Google; esp strong on pint Q, surprisingly strong on JASIST Q as well • witches  Yahoo categories • confirming something we’ve known intuitively for quite some time • dowsing  browsing (perhaps rename??)

  9. implications, conclusions, further research • implications for metadata creation, system design, searchers, training—but nothing funny I could think of this afternoon • multiple methods of search can be of significant value (ditto) • potential challenge to global Google hegemony • sometimes these more mature methods of search can be worthwhile for the Web • i.e., you might just as well wave a stick at it

  10. Alternative Models of Web Searching: Broadening Our Perspectives: An Exploratory Study: Preliminary FindingsSIG/CON 2002 Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

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