Omar Kattan - search in a nutshell

A few months ago I wrote about building my very own Google using the open source software that is Nutch. 

I actually did it but had to remove it from my server because the crawling sessions occupied too much space and resources on my server and caused it to crash a few times. This is one of the main obstacles facing anyone trying to compete with Google…computer power. 

Jimmy Wales, founder of the Wikipedia has found another way to compete.  Jimmy (aka Jimbo) is also utilising open source software to challenge the search giant but he plans to add a couple of new ingredients to the formula to make it work. 

To challenge Google, Jimbo plans to utilise human editors from all around the world coupled with the computing power of thousands of idle computers to overcome the barriers to entry that Google has created over the years.

Basically, Jimbo plans to add the human touch to the traditional search engine algorithem and utilise computer down time from thousands of computers to crawl and index the web, this concept was tested in the past through a project called Grub.  Grub never saw the light of day, but is now getting a second chance after it was recently bought by Jimbo to incorporate into Wikia.

Can Jimbo challenge Google?  Why not,  if anyone is qualified, Jimbo is, after all, he did manage (with the help of Google) to create the largest online encyclopedia to rival giants like Brittanica and Encarta. 

Also…who would have ever though Google could challenge Alta Vista way back then but they did and they did it with new concepts and ideas set to revolutionise how search works and this is exactly what Jimbo is attempting to do.

Good luck to you Jimbo!

Social networking site Digg has dropped Google Ads on its site for rival Microsoft AdCenter.  The details of the deal were not disclosed as both companies declined to comment.

Digg is MS AdCenter’s second high profile social networking client, the first was Facebook which was signed up a year ago.

 This is what Steve Berkowitz, a senior VP of Microsoft’s online services group said of the deal:

“We actually now are in the forefront of what we believe is going to be the next generation of advertising,”

Microsoft AdCenter needed this kind of high profile advertiser to kick off its Advertising programme.  

I’m not too sure this was such a good move on Digg’s part as most Digg users are anti Microsoft because of its monopolistic history with software applications.

Lets see how things pan out….

In an unprecedented move, ASK (previously ASK Jeeves) has changed its data retention cookie policy to incorporate users’ preference on how long they can retain personal search data.

Ask decided to make this move after it conferred with the Center for Democracy and Technology.

 This is what CDT Deputy Director Ari Schwartz said about ASK’s decision:

“We’re extremely pleased to see a new breed of innovative, competitive tools that allow users greater control over their personal information and online experiences”

Google has recently been criticised in recent weeks about their own policy on data retention and have responded by decreasing their cookie length to 2 years. 

Google’s pro-privacy critics however have rebuffed this gesture as misleading and continue to criticise the search giant about their data retention policies.

ASK has recently positioned its self as “the other search engine” (ie the one that is not monopolising search and the one that respects users privacy.

This it truly a ground-breaking move on ASK’s part and a master stroke if you ask me. 

The European Union gave Germany the nod to spend 120 million euros ($167 million) on research into Theseus, a search engine to compete against Google.

The project boasts high profile partners including Siemens, SAP as well as other high profile companies and governmental/semi governmental institutions.

Theseus aims to be a multimedia search engine and includes text translation tools as well as tools for identifying and indexing images, sound and text.

Siemens’ Vice President of Corporate Technology Hartmut Raffler said of the project:

“Theseus will make it possible for all Internet users to have easy access to global knowledge, the technology Theseus will develop will generate new knowledge from knowledge.”

Theseus is named after a character in Greek mythology who uses thread to navigate King Minos’ maze and was originally a French-German search initiative called Quaero.

Quaero split in December 2006, with the French continuing to work on Quaero and the Germans working on Theseus.

It seems like the bug to compete with google is spreading

In a followup to its Audio Ads, Google has just launched its Print Ads programme in the US market.

In a nutshell, Google Print Ads allows companies to run advertisements in local newspapers using Google’s Adwords web interface.

Google Print Ads allows companies with little or no experience with print advertising to create, publish and manage their print ads with little to no experience.

Similar to PPC advertising, companies bid on available ad sizes, sections and dates; it’s up to publications to accept or reject the bids. Google’s technology automates the billing and payment cycles.

Google Print Ads was launched in Beta last Novembe, partnering with 50 newspapers and approximately 100 Google Adwords advertisers.  The Google Print Ads service has since then expanded to more than 225 papers according to the search giant.

This is what Eric Schmidt said during the launch:

“Newspapers are an important source of information and a powerful communication tool, Google Print Ads will bring more advertisers to newspapers which will ultimately benefit readers, publishers and advertisers.”

Google claims that its Print Ads service has a reach in excess of 30 million readers in 32 of the top 35 advertising markets in the US, including New York, Washington, Seattle and Silicon Valley.

Yahoo has a competing service that includes 265 newspapers.