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Outride, a spin-off from Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), was
created to apply state-of-the-art model-based relevance technology to
the challenge of online information retrieval. Outride's technologies
were designed to enhance productivity from end-users by simplifying
the ability to find the right information at the right time.
(edited by: heini at 8:39 pm (gmt) on Sep. 20, 2001
One recent improvement, however, is the advent of the modal-based search, which "learns" from prior searches and can thus goes beyond existing types by trying to understand the search visitor's needs. It was developed at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center over two years ago. Among the companies using modal-based searches is Outride, which says its technology will find what you want twice as fast as a nonmodal search engine. The only drawback is that users need to fill out user and content profiles
But unlike Outride, PurpleYogi offers free downloadable software that works in conjunction with a browser. What's clever about its software is that it continually updates a user's profile based on the sites and data the user seeks out on the Web.
FWIW, I think Google is going after the profiles that modal-based search builds. It would put the old Doubleclick database to shame, even go after MediaMetrix and Nielsen for hot-off-the-SE demographic studies.
Sounds perfect for a subscription based revenue model.
Which would be fine with me. Or at least a better option than moving to pay for inclusion. A really good searchengine delivers a valuable service: why shouldnīt users pay for it?
Deviding into free basic search and paid premium search... why not?
Of course such a personalized search option would be the perfect setting for extremely targeted ads also...
What I donīt quite understand about this outride technology is that it relies on users filling out profile info forms. If it were really good shouldnīt it be able to "learn" just from searches the user performs?
...a person who normally searches for sports information is unlikely to get prominent hits from volkswagen.com when he types in "golf". ..
[news.zdnet.co.uk...]
From James Pitkow, assoc. with Xerox and GroupFire(now Outride)
Smells like tech to be used in Outride. No conformation but matches up pretty well with what they preach.
Method and apparatus for finding a set of documents relevant to a focus set using citation analysis and spreading activation techniques
[164.195.100.11]
System for ranking search results from a collection of documents using spreading activation techniques [164.195.100.11]
Method and apparatus for predicting document access in a collection of linked documents featuring link proprabilities and spreading activation [164.195.100.11]
Prefetching and caching documents according to probability ranked need S list [164.195.100.11]
Method and apparatus for clustering a collection of linked documents using co-citation analysis [164.195.100.11]
System for categorizing documents in a linked collection of documents [164.195.100.11]
System for predicting documents relevant to focus documents by spreading activation through network representations of a linked collection of documents [164.195.100.11]
I don't think 'should' is the correct word. I just think people are use to getting things free on the internet, and *wouldn't* pay for it.
-G
I would take a look at NL's business model, I think that is more the direction that Google will be heading into. I think the potential market for a "personalised" subscription based search service is much larger than we realise. In this Joe Surfer plays no part, it is aimed squarely at the corporate market. The impression I get from reading the Outride stuff is that the level of personal information required for the system to work is far greater than individuals would be prepared to give, corporate employess are another matter.
