dgrati - 3:17 pm on May 24, 2006 (gmt 0)

I'd suggest an alternative theory.

Google wants to understand exactly what the user wants. But when a user queries "movies", what does she mean? A DVD? Local movie listing? A movie database perhaps?

Queries of the broad nature are, IMHO, precisely the problem that Page and others mention when they say that they want to give the users exactly want they mean.

So how do you solve that problem?
You can have automated system that extracts concepts. We already know that Google understands concepts to a certain level, that is, it can, at the very least, identify sister concepts to a major concept.
So how about this: Google wants to "reality-check"/"refine" is its own conceptual answers against human answers.

The dilemma they face is spamming. On the face value it seems like the simplist answer is to choose Coops that cover a variety of topics.

Thanks.