> You could compare a search done in two library catalogs. You could
> compare a search done in Google and in Yahoo. Comparing Google and the
> library catalog is NONSENSE! It's like walking into a hardware store
> looking for a handbag (or walking into Macy's looking for wood screws).
> It isn't the SEARCH that matters, it's the information resources behind
> the search.
Google and the library catalog are two ways of finding information
about a topic. Not infrequently they are in direct competition. While
it true they have different information behind them, and stand at a
different remove from that information, they vary greatly in their
effectiveness in searching the information they do have. With all due
respect, the search matters, not just the resources behind it.
The basic problem is this: Google does a generally good job of
searching billions of web pages of wildly diverse quality and lacking
professional metadata. Library catalogs do a lousy job of searching
small numbers of resources of apparently high quality, outfitted with
highly detailed, professionally-created metadata.
This is a tired topic, certainly. But it's still a relevant one.
Tim
PS: I am the first to agree that the world would be a better place if
we would all talk less and create more, but I've been programming all
day and need a moment's diversion!
Received on Sun Jan 06 2008 - 14:49:51 EST