[Sigia-l] Google vs. Knowledge Management

[Nuno Lopes]

I use Google as my first shot engine for finding information around a
subject that I have little experience with. Once I get deeper into the
subject quite often Google can't give me good hits (same hits every time
in the same order). Then I move to Yahoo or some kind of directory
service that provides me a semantic net around the subject that I'm
learning. This is usually provided by a specialized site.

I honestly think that both complement each other.

Whether Google type searching will eventually surpass the need of
specialized (subject based) semantic nets is mere speculation at the
moment IMO.

Now, if you don't have a search engine within your organization that
facilitates search services around thousands of documents that you know
little of (or even that they exist) Google is an excellent first shot
both from the financial point of view and feasibility IMO.

If you already have that, but still feel that some information is harder
to find then search engines based on semantic nets is probably the only
tools that you can apply at the moment.

Ziya wrote:

>Nail. Hammer. Direct hit --> This is the ultimate objective: end the
>tyranny of rigid categorization by the end user.

I believe that people have a short memory on history. Sometimes people
forget that information exist to be shared, librarians always remind me
of that. Long leave the Great Library of Alexandria :). The net is
hardly a traditional library and is hardly anything else (It's just the
Net). I'm happy that my fundamental patterns of thought were not
provided by the Web, but from schools and libraries that were more
resilient to fashion.

Google stimulates fashion. Deep knowledgeable articles are almost never
found through a Google search IMO. But is a nice place (if not the best)
to start researching on a subject.

Best regards

Nuno Lopes