AV Code Blue?

Drops local searches...

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Seems forlorn hopes of a turnaround in Alta Vista's fortunes are now turning to ashes tasting a mite bitter on the tongue...

See Pandia Post at [pandia.com...]

The line it is drawn / The curse it is cast / The slow one now / Will later be FAST / As the present now / Will later be past / The order is / Rapidly fadin'. / And the first one now / Will later be last / For the times they are a-changin'.

- Bob Dylan -

[heini]

That does not come as a surprise having watched AV from the European perspective. What is really scandalous is that webmasters who paid for inclusion, aiming at local AVs won´t get refunded. Also scandalous is that still default on local AVs is set to local languages. In fact AV.com, when approached from European countries shows a popup boasting: "more pages in you language you find at AV.xyz".
Also scandalous is that local AVs over the last months actually lost a lot of pages.

[Brett_Tabke]

Related news story:
[itworld.com...]

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"AltaVista, the leading global search technology and a majority owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI - news), today announced that its award-winning AltaVista Search Software Engine v3.0 has achieved certification under Sun MicroSystems' SunTone(SM) Certification and Branding Program for Applications."

If, as far as Web search is concerned, they intend running the local subset concurrently with the main database, I guess it's a case of a triple bypass rather than full cardiac arrest :).

A press release appearing in yesterdays Yahoo! Finance section entitled "Vista Search Software Awarded Prestigious SunTone(SM) Certification [biz.yahoo.com]" seems to indicate that our old favorite has settled for back-seat status in the race for Web search dominance. Like Inktomi and, to a different degree, FAST, AV's focus seems to be on enterprise solutions. I guess this makes sense from an indeterminate cost and profit-potential point of view.

The IT World article also gives an indication of the regard in which the engines hold the average Web searcher:

"(AV)...sees no reason to alert Web users or Web masters who might be wondering why after four months their Web site has appeared in AltaVista's international index, but still can't be found using the regional search service..." .... "He (AV's Hegerty) made no comment when it was pointed out that more than one cycle has been skipped, as it has been over four months since new pages were added to the regional indexes."

One good thing about this apparent exaggeration of AV's demise: It looks as though, as far as the large companies are concerned, they'll be sticking to areas in which they excel (and profit). Furthermore, with the whole Web services concept yet to take meaningful shape, we can now start to distinguish Internet from Web-focused companies.

Additionally, a rider that's likely to be viewed as a bit rich in anybody's language.

"AltaVista Company is the leading global search technology. Building on its strong search heritage and patented technology, AltaVista unlocks valuable business data for companies with search software..."

Like our buddies at Redmond and as 'threatened' in the recent past, it appears AV are not shy to claim "what's theirs".

[Brett_Tabke]

They are all starting to focus on the highly profitable b2b sector. I think it is part of the real reason why we see the corporate dominance in the search engines. When you look at who still has the available funds for advertising on Goto or spidering, it lends itself to certain algo constructs to influence that (loss leaders).

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I agree... and, though it may degrade the value of search for the average home and small-business user in the short term, i.e. the people that matter to me, it need not be a bad thing for the Internet and Web in the long run. If I read you right, Brett, what you're saying is we're seeing vague signs of lasting commitment to the Net's potential from the boys and girls who wield a big blue pencil in one hand and jab at an equally fat bottom line with the other... :)

If business and its financial advisors feel they're getting a grip on things through their interaction with IT service providers, realize that the Net and Web are not (and never were) easy ways to print money, take an interest in the glue holding their businesses together, and are reassured by the dominance of BigCos, we might just see e-business and commerce moving up a gear or two next year...