Patterns in Search Design Re: [Sigia-l] re: the future of search

[Joe 10]

At 10:14 PM -0700 7/28/02, Peter Merholz wrote:
>Reading this thread, I'm quite surprised that this community's (typically
>misguided) fascination with patterns hasn't come up.
>
>For one, it's clearly silly to say, "Search will be [this]" or "search will
>be [that]." Because the kinds of searching and the contexts for searching
>are too variable.
>
>Scott got the closest with his comments on search as chore, fuzzy chore,
>serendipity, and research, but the desire for a "single set of design and
>engineering decisions" strikes me as an odd conclusion.

Here here. As it stands today I use Google, Dictionary.com, 
Outdoorsites.com and Epinions (among others) when my needs for 
different target searches arise. This will continue in that people 
will learn how to get the answers they want from this constantly 
evolving medium. Doubtful that one interface will house them all - 
any more than one hardware store will have every tool I want.

>
>One thing I can pretty much guarantee -- the future of semantic searching
>(the kind typically done on a place like google) has NOTHING to do with
>kartoo-like visualization. Gack. I wish people would stop wasting time with
>that !@#$.

Awwwwe, come on, Peter. Everyone needs a hobby. They just shouldn't 
release them to the public!

Objectively though, just 'cause I stared at Kartoo like a dog who'd 
heard a funny sound doesn't mean people should stop trying to push 
boundaries...

>(I tend to feel the same way about the Semantic Web.)

Yeah, I felt the same way about automatic transmissions for the longest time...

If you de-proper-noun the phrase so it becomes "a semantic web" it 
may make a bit more sense. Though RDF/DAML/OIL reign today the wash 
cycle's not near done.

Think of it as a social network maintenance tool akimbo to Creo's six 
degrees ( http://www.creo.com/sixdegrees/ ) kind of thing.

/Joe
-- 
Joe Tennis
Information Design Honcho
Joe 10 Enterprises
2430 5th Street
Studio L
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-649-1744
joe at joe10.com
http://www.joe10.com
Usability Consulting | Information Architecture | Interface Design
for Web, Wireless and Interactive Media
----------------------
Try the newer, gentler, standards compliant Joe10.com