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When asked to identify the pros and cons of telecommuting, for example, one searcher searched for "telecommuting," while others queried "working at home cost benefit" and "economic comparison telecommuting versus office." Knowing that these people have a shared interest could mean better results, Teevan says. "I don't talk about things the same way that you talk about things," she says. "And by using those different ways, [Microsoft is] more likely to find a page where someone talks about something in their own way."
Even if tapping into social groups improves search results, Microsoft will have to significantly improve its search service or introduce major new features to win over Google's loyal followers, says Andrew Frank, research vice president with business-intelligence firm Gartner's media group. "I think that the search category has been so successful for Google, and their dominance is so extreme, that it is hard to imagine a specific tactic that could be a silver bullet to change the trajectory of things," he says. "It will take a lot of effort and a lot of different things to change the overall picture of search."
Efforts to compare the quality of search results from Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have found that about half of people still prefer Google--a smaller number than Google's actual market share. The difference is the attraction of Google's brand, Frank says. "You have to kind of change the game with search," he says. "It is almost impossible to get people to switch on a large scale just on a feature-function comparison."
In 2008, Google kicked off an experiment in which it allowed users to change the look of their search results, mapping them or placing them on a timeline. Early this year, the company added ability function that lets users reorder their search results through a service called SearchWiki. Yahoo has expanded its research-and-development efforts to try to match its rival's efforts.
Microsoft's Teevan believes, however, that there's still plenty of room for improvement. "Search is a really huge activity on the Web, but right now, we only have a single search tool--the search box--and a list of results," she says. "Groups can teach us a lot."
Nipping at Google's heels, Bing focuses on refining product-related searches.
A personalization search tool reveals links buried deep within page results.
Michael brought up an interesting point. I wonder what percentage of MSN and yahoo searches are accidental as a result of those silly "search toolbars" that people accidentally install in IE. I know that when I have to use a PC that sometimes happens to me...
This article makes no mention of privacy, and I don't understand why. The last thing I want is for MS to know anything about me. It's not surprising that MS appears to be ignoring this issue, but TR? This is a neat idea, but there's no way I will use it...
WOW! MS realized that people know stuff... ; )
It's great that Microsoft finally realized that the social web has some value.
Pity it only took 4 years and a behavioral change that has swept the majority of web users to get their attention...
I suggest the good people at Redmond give http://Headup.com a spin.
Not only does Headup utilize users' social data routinely in its searches but it succeeds doing so without infringing on user privacy.
A funny side note is that Headup is a weird animal - despite the fact that it's a Firefox addon it's based on Microsofts' very own Silverlight...Probably one of very applications that actually utilize the full potential of this much maligned platform...
You'd think Redmond would be aware of what their own stuff can do...
: )
Cheers,
Mike
I tweet @Pop_art & do http://DigitalArtPrintGallery.com
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Michael Martinez
1 Comment
It won't work
Social media grouping has already been used for search optimization and the SEO community abused it to no end. All they have to do is create sock puppets and link gangs (aka "Link Mafias") to get around these kinds of filtering algorithms.
Furthermore, Google's search market share is not that much greater than Microsoft's. Measuring search market share by number of searches performed is misleading. Google's core audience amounts to no more than about 10% of their visitors, who are responsible for about half of Google's visits.
But the queries people run on Google include a multitude of informational queries, the goal of which does not include leaving Google for other sites. It is now possible use Google as a phone directory, map, calculator, dictionary, news reader, blog reader, customer reviews of businesses, and product catalog.
These and other types of informational queries (including automated rank-checking tools used by the SEO community and vanity queries where people "Google" themselves) unreasonably inflate Google's supposed search market share.
Microsoft search is now being used by about 100 million people per month, whereas about 137 million people use Google. In 2008 Microsoft experienced an unprecedented spurt of growth which has propelled it ahead of Yahoo! and well within reach of overtaking Google in the Real Search Market.
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