londrum - 5:11 pm on Jun 9, 2011 (gmt 0)

Then the machine-learning program ranges over the data signals that Google collects to learn how those factors could be applied to create a more optimal SERP. When the new machine-proposed algo passes some quality checks, it becomes live.

i wonder what those quality checks involve?

presumably its a load of google employees typing in searches and visiting all the pages that come up. for that to work you'd need employees who actually know a lot about the subject that they're searching for, otherwise they're not really going to know if the page answers their question.

here's a thought... assuming that google know that this is less than ideal, do you think that's what the new 'like' button is really all about? because the people who click the button WILL know whether the page is any good.

its a tacit admission that their own employees cant quality check every search term.