Web Search Engines: Part 1 & 2 reminded me just how interesting it is that search engines can get us fast, accurate results, with minimal spam. Spam filters are getting so much better, and the search engine algorithms are improving all the time. It's a complicated system, and there are so many things to be aware of-- the politeness aspect was one I hadn't thought of much, but it's important. I know a bit about SEO, so not all of this information was new to me, but these readings were clear and pretty easy to understand.
Current developments and future trends for the OAI protocol for metadata harvesting - Not really familiar with OAI, but has to do with metadata, searching databases, and so on, to create better access to information.
The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value - Good comments on searching, the limitations of searching, the problems we face trying to both narrow results and provide access to as much information as possible, and the difference between surface content and the deep web. 750 terabytes is a massive amount of information! I'm not surprised that some of the biggest deep web sites are government sites, either. Interesting comment on how "higher quality" really means "did I get what I wanted?"
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It was an interesting dichotomy this week - in one sense the Search Engine articles showed just how well search engines really do when it comes to finding relevant and usable information, yet the deep web article shows how much is really missed by search engines. I think we need all the tools, though. I guess when I think about how many volumes of printed ndexes used to exist in the research section of libraries, I'm not surprised that the internet information is requiring more tools, too.
Interesting comment on how "higher quality" really means "did I get what I wanted?"
Hi Rachel,
This seems particularly true of government websites. If you take a look at the US Census website, that is a great example of the conundrum you mentioned: it contains thousands of pieces of data, facts, figures, and it is so poorly organized, you could be stuck on that website forever without a librarian to be the rescuer!
You reminded me of a good point about the deep web sites being comprised of government sites that the general public can't access. Search engine algorithms are fascinating. I only wish I were smart enough to understand fully how they work! But I suppose then I could own my very own company too!! And mine would be polite as well ;)
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