Article Review - Google and Search: Some of the Latest Developments
Again, this is an assignment for the FIS program...
Phil Bradley wrote the article “Google and Search: Some of the Latest Developments” (Bradley, 2005, Google and Search) in July 2005. The article itself was written to provide further insight into what developments Google has had in recent times and also delves into some of the comparative search engines that have emerged. The article describes Google’s development of “Google Personalized”; “Google Local” (although this discusses the local content for the
It is a subjective article in which Bradley writes in the first person and his opinion on Google becomes apparent through a reading of this article. His bias towards Google as one of the best search engines becomes apparent when reading another article Bradley wrote in April 2004, entitled “Search Engines: The Google Backlash” (Bradley, 2004, Search Engines) where he defends Google as a search engine in response to the heavy criticism that Google endured starting in 2003.
Bradley makes the statement, “I'm not, however going to talk about how to search Google since, if you read this column on a regular basis you'll already know about all of the basics” in his introduction which struck this author as a rather grandiose statement. Bradley is clearly making the assumption that anyone reading this one article should be familiar with his writings and has not taken a beginner’s foray into utilizing search engines into account. He also does not discuss any of the larger and more familiar search engines (such as Yahoo or AltaVista) available in order to give a better understanding or insight into the strengths and weaknesses of Google. However, this article is relatively short and was written to introduce the reader to new developments in Google so it is conceivable that this type of comparison would not be necessary. Also consider that Bradley’s most recent article in Ariadne was written in October 2005 where he does write extensively about image search engines (including Google) in a comparative fashion (Bradley, 2005, Image Search Engines). Phil Bradley, in fact, writes many articles primarily about search engines for Ariadne and also in his weblog (Bradley, 2005, Phil Bradley’s Weblog) and his homepage (Bradley, 2005, The Phil Bradley Home Page).
The article, “Google and Search: Some of the Latest Developments” is a good article to read for those that prefer to use Google as a search engine, particularly because it introduces the user to elements and features that Google provides that the user might be unaware of. The article itself is short and an easy read which makes it quite accessible for any beginners that might be new to internet lingo and interested in learning more about what features Google has to offer. Some readers might even prefer his writing in the first person while academics might be a little distracted by it considering that it lends itself to a biased viewpoint. Upon performing a search in Ariadne for Google related articles for comparison to Bradley’s article, all relevant hits were articles all written by Bradley himself. Clearly he is an expert (whether in an official or in a self-promoted fashion is debatable) on search engines, specifically on Google.
An interesting component of the article is that Bradley compares Google to other search engines but the engines mentioned (Graball, Twingine, DoubleTrust, NEWSiness, Thumbshots Ranking, and Dogpile) are not stand-alone search engines in league with Google but compares the actual results from other search engines. For example, Graball presents search results from Google in a left-hand panel and the results from Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN, DMOZ, AltaVista, Gigablast or LookSmart in the right-hand panel (GrabAll, 2005). Dogpile (“all the best search engines piled into one”) differs from the aforementioned search engines in that rather comparing the results between search engines, it combines all search engines to obtain results (Dogpile, 2005). This particular search engine is specifically mentioned in Bradley’s article as being one of his personal favourites.
While this author has been using Google for a few years, there was some information that Bradley divulged that has made Google not only more understandable as to how it works, but a better understanding of everything Google has to offer. Of particular interest was the mention of the upcoming Google Wallet which would provide the public with the ability to make micropayments which subsequently raises questions about whether or not this will adversely affect PayPal. In an online article in Enterprise News and Reviews, David Edwards, an analyst with American Technology Research in
Grammatically speaking, Bradley’s article could use some improvement. He constantly uses pronouns such as “we” and “our” in addition to his use of first person narrative. Academically speaking, using the terms “we” or “our” is not acceptable as he is literally putting his own views onto anyone who reads his article, which is not an accurate way of writing. This is a relatively finicky observation on this author’s behalf but one that is worth mentioning in light of the fact that some academics might not take this article seriously due to how biased the information appears just based on his writing style.
Bradley does explain in a user-friendly manner the points on Google that he felt were the most relevant, particularly for the British public. Overall, this article did provide some interesting (albeit brief) information that can give the average Google user some extra insight into various services that Google offers that the user might have been unaware of previously. Despite the flaws already mentioned, this article is worth reading for anyone interested in Google.
Resources
Bradley, Phil (November 10, 2005). Phil Bradley’s Weblog. Retrieved November 12, 2005 <http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/search_engines/index.html>
Bradley, Phil (October 30, 2005). Image Search Engines. Ariadne (45). Retrieved November 12, 2005 <http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue45/search-engines/>
Bradley, Phil (September 6, 2005). Phil Bradley: The
Bradley, Phil (July 30, 2005). Google and Search: Some of the Latest Developments. Ariadne (44). Retrieved October 12, 2005 <http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue44/search-engines/intro.html>
Bradley, Phil (April 30, 2004). Search Engines: The Google Backlash. Ariadne (39). Retrieved November 11, 2005 <http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue39/search-engines/intro.html>
Dogpile (2005). Dogpile Web Search Home Page. Retrieved November 13, 2005 <http://dogpile.com/>
GrabAll (2005). GrabAll. Retrieved November 13, 2005 <http://www.graball.com/>
Pallatto, John (June 20, 2005). Electronic ‘Wallet” Makes Sense for Google.
posted by Dissolved Girl @ 3:53 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Hi!
I do not particularly object to Bradley’s casual tone, which is typical for monthly columnists.
The major issue here seems to be the conflicting goals of maintaining momentum, positioning Google as the site for the latest developments in the search engines with an eye for the next “killer app” and maintaining the clean interface and quick results which established its preeminence. When Google was first introduced, Yahoo! had become bogged down with umpteen different features beyond its web directory--which due to the sheer size of the web is in practical terms obsolete--and its search engine capabilities. One innovation, Yahoo Mail, ensured the company’s continued survival. But many others, combined with the proliferation of banner ads, made loading the webpage, let alone searching for websites, a chore especially in the days before broadband. After Google, Alta Vista underwent a major simplification of its interface. Yahoo! followed suit only after many years in the desert.
That said, every time Google adds a new feature I worry. Most, oriented towards a specialized audience or of limited utility, are wisely shunted off to the “more” section. Although the author claims that it’s a bit out of date, if you are interested in micro-payments, you might enjoy Scott McCloud’s “I Can’t Stop Thinking” comic.
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/icst/icst-5/icst-5-full.html
The relatively meager offerings that one would consciously choose on a “pay as you go system” as well as the potential to rack up a sizable bill simply from random surfing would seem to be the major barrier here. Given the concerns about music and video downloading, it seems inevitable that the major ISP’s will have to arrange a general licensing agreement with major content providers and include this in their fees for full broadband access.
Until that happens one new feature I would like Google to introduce would be a method to filter the on-line magazines and news organizations that require registration or prepayment before one can access the material the search engine finds.
I'm glad that you found the article to be of some interest and use to you. To come back at you on a few of your points to put them into some context:
It's perfectly true that I do expect people to have read previous columns that I've written for Ariadne; it's an online magazine that has been around now for many years, and it is a regular column. Both have a readership that has grown over time, so I don't think that it's unreasonable to assume that people have read what I have to say on search engines in previous issues. I think that it's also important to point out that I only have limited space available (as well as limited time!) and if I was to go into detail about using Google from scratch that would be the article done and dusted before I got onto what I wanted to actually talk about.
It's also true that I do like Google; it has a number of features that other engines don't have, or that have implimented features after Google. However, it's not actually my favourite search engine (which is Exalead), but it is the one that most people are interested in.
With regards my writing style - I think that you're quite right to say that the article is written using a personal perspective; I'm writing in a personal capacity in that column, so I feel that it's appropriate to use that style. I make no pretence that I'm being particularly academic, nor do I make the assumption that my readers are going to be academics themselves; Ariadne has a wider readership that just academics. I have no expectation that my columns will be viewed as academic - that is not their purpose. As you have indicated elsewhere in your article that column was aimed more at people who were new to the many different things that Google is doing, so it was an informative piece, rather than an academic one.
I think your flaw here (if there is one) is making an assumption as to my audience. As I've already indicated, I don't assume that I'm talking to an academic audience, but rather to one that has an interest in search engines. That some academics may dismiss the article because of the tone or terminology doesn't actually bother me in the slightest; when I want them to take notice I write in a different style.
As for my 'expertise' being official or self promoted, I'm not quite sure how you would define 'official' in this instance. I suppose that you could say that because I'm often asked to speak at academic conferences, or to teach people about search engines (amongst other things) that is 'official'. However, since I'm not employed by any sort of 'official' body (however that is defined) it could equally be argued that any expertise I claim in this area is by my own self promotion. For me, it's an irrelevance. Since I'm self employed the key issue for me is 'Will people pay me money to read what I write or listen to me speak?' and in general they do.
I hope that's given you a little more insight into what I write and how I write it. Thanks for reviewing the article - I found what you wrote to be very interesting, and I'm glad that you got something out of it.
Best,
Phil.
Thanks to both Brent and Phil for your comments. Particularly to you Phil...that was unexpected :) I've done quite a few article reviews during my university career but would never expect the author of an article to comment on it. Thanks for taking my criticism so well. Just so you know, this review was a required element for a course I'm currently taking at the University of Toronto so I had to be pretty critical. I did overall enjoy your article and while I did criticize your grammer, keep in mind that it's because this was for an academic course (and it was refreshing for me to read something that doesn't seem as "academic" as what I usually read). So thanks again for your comments and your good nature :)
All the best,
Kathryn
Hi Kathryn,
Yes, I thought it was for a course, hence the tone of my remarks - whatever your tutor says you can always show her/him my comments on your review, and if I'm giving it a good mark they will surely have to do the same!
Good luck with the course.
Phil.
Hi Kathryn:
It was quite interesting for me to see your review. I reviewed this article for our first assignment and I really enjoyed reading yours, as you looked at this article from a totally different point of view. I think this is what this assignment is all about, what we individually think about articles. What do you think about the author reploying to your post?!
Mehrak
Hi Kathryn:
I enjoyed reading your review.
I am a bit of a Google lover and would like to better understand its features. It was helpful to be introduced to other search engines like Graball, DoubleTrust and Exalead too.
How interesting to have the author respond. You handled yourself well.
I am wondering what Google Personalized is?
Good work again,
Kelly
Thanks Kelly :) Google Personalized basicially "personalizes" your searches. I'll put in a quote directly from Phil's article since he probably puts it better than I could. "If you visit the site up in the top left-hand corner is a small 'Sign in' link. If you click on that, you get taken to a sign-in page (there's a surprise!) and if you have a Gmail account, or you belong to a Google group for example you can sign in and get your own personalised home page. Having done that you are then able to set up the Google Home Page by adding in links to your Gmail account, headlines from the New York Times, BBC News, Google news, and also small things such as 'word of the day' or inspirational quotes. The real power of the thing is that you can check your own search history. Google keeps a note of what you have searched for and displays your search activity. Furthermore, it will also show you the pages that you looked at under the searches that you have run, and you can also run searches within your own search history. It's a great tool to use on those occasions when you have visited a page but can't remember what or where it was" (Bradley, Google and Search, 2005).
I hope that helps and thanks for your comments :)
Kathryn
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