Google in sight, search engines are getting smarter

Internet search engines are getting smarter, thanks to a technological race among various leaders in the business such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and smaller firms which are trying to make a name for themselves.

The latest technology update on the search horizon is 'artificial intelligence'—a science used to make intelligent machines using computer programmes.

A search using artificial intelligence would take all words keyed in together to come up with an appropriate answer— unlike particular keyword-based results thrown up by popular search engines currently available.

Sobha Renaissance IT (SRIT), an arm of Sobha Developers, has developed a search called “Icognue”, which works on an artificial intelligence-based algorithm. Yahoo has built a specific search facility on its www.yahoo.in Website, which the company says incorporates elements of artificial intelligence.

Increasing revenues from search engines are driving players in this industry to come up with newer solutions. It is estimated that by 2010, revenues from Internet search would garner as much as Rs 40,000 crore ($10 billion).

“Currently, artificial intelligence is not being used by most Internet search providers,” says Syed Yasin, the brain behind Icognue. Industry experts say current search offerings of companies like Google will be history when a technology like Latent Metonymical Analysis and Indexing, an algorithm that uses mathematical techniques for search queries.

“Using artificial intelligence in every search query made by the user would be the future of Internet search,” Tapan Bhat, vice president, Yahoo.

Companies are resorting to newer technologies to differentiate and grab market-share from Google, which has cornered over 60 per cent of search-oriented Internet usage globally.

Newer search facilities include knowing the content of a web page as the mouse courses through the result instead of clicking on to the web page. However, they admit there is a long way to go. As Yasin puts it, “We have started gathering and indexing encyclopedia portals on the web for now but we have to increase this to the whole world of the worldwide web to be a force to reckon with.”

Taken from: http://publication.samachar.com/pub_article.php?id=1997503

Google Changes its Ranking Algorithm?

In the New Year, Google seems to be changing their algorithm and making the search results more time related. The leading search engine has been ranking items from popular sites like Digg higher than factual or historical sites like Wikipedia. Is this a move towards a Web 3.0? In other news, Kara Ratliff reports that Yahoo’s Chief Performance Expert, Steve Souders plans on joining the Google team on January 7th, 2008. For more details of the news, keep watching WebProNews.



Find more at: http://videos.webpronews.com/2008/01/07/google-changes-algorithm

Interesting Search Trends from Google, Yahoo & Ask.com for 2007

Google, Yahoo! and Ask.com have released their end of year guides to the hottest online searches in 2007. The guides detail the fastest rising (and falling) search queries conducted throughout the year.

Google
Google's popular end of year roundup, the Google Zeitgeist, receives its own micro site on Google.com which can be seen here. Google break down their top searches into different categories, but provide an overall summary of the fastest rising and falling searches on Google.com.

Fastest Rising (global)

1. iphone
2. badoo
3. facebook
4. dailymotion
5. webkinz
6. youtube
7. ebuddy
8. second life
9. hi5
10. club penguin

Fastest Falling (global)

1. world cup*
2. mozart
3. fifa
4. rebelde*
5. kazaa
6. xanga
7. webdetente
8. sudoku
9. shakira
10. mp3
*featured in 2006 fastest-rising list

For U.S. residents, you may also be interested to see how your searching habits compare to that of the rest of the world.

Fastest Rising (U.S.)

1. iphone
2. webkinz
3. tmz
4. transformers
5. youtube
6. club penguin
7. myspace
8. heroes
9. facebook
10. anna nicole smith

Yahoo!
Yahoo! was the first search engine to release their "Top Trends in Search" report for 2007. Like Google, Yahoo! breaks down their top search queries into different categories.

News Stories - top 10 news stories

1. Saddam Hussein
2. Iran
3. Iraq
4. President George W. Bush
5. Oil and Gas prices
6. Barack Obama
7. Hillary Rodham Clinton
8. San Diego Fires
9. Afghanistan
10. Virginia Tech

Grass is Always Greener - top 10 environmental searches

1. Recycling
2. Global Warming
3. Freecycle
4. Earth
5. Pollution
6. Al Gore
7. Environmental Protection Agency
8. Live Earth
9. Hybrid Cars
10. Solar Energy

Celebrity Downslides - top 10 troubled stars

1. Britney Spears
2. Paris Hilton
3. Anna Nicole Smith
4. Vanessa Anne Hudgens
5. Nicole Richie
6. Amy Winehouse
7. Rosie O'Donnell
8. Tara Conner
9. Michael Vick
10. Owen Wilson

It's always hard to directly compare search engines as the categories used often differ somewhat, so for a full recap on the Yahoo! trends head over to the Yahoo! website: http://buzz.yahoo.com/toptrends2007/

Ask.com
While MSN are yet to release their 2007 trends, Ask.com have been the only major search engine to give an overall top 10 list, so here it is:

Ask.com's Top Searches of 2007

1. MySpace
2. Dictionary
3. Google
4. Themes
5. Area Codes
6. Cars
7. Weather
8. Games
9. Song Lyrics
10. Movies

Posted on the Ask.com blog, the list is followed by an interesting comment;

"Yep, MySpace was the big one...In fact, I believe it was #1 last year as well. Bebo? Orkut? Facebook? Nowhere to be found. The other nine are a pretty good survey of how people use the Internet.

...Including a certain competitor/partner in the #3 slot. But what can we say? Our list is as straight as it comes--we tell it like it is. And maybe--just maybe--if *other* search engines showed us their lists of top searches...we might see Ask.com in theirs as well."

For a full rundown on Ask.com top searchers, including other categories, visit the Ask.com blog.

So there you have it, the top searches you conducted during 2007. Do you think the lists accurately reflect online buzz during the year? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Source : ineedhits.com