Search for the Enterprise:

Creating Findability

Jean BedordFindability and Search Consulting

EContent Strategies

Gilbane Conference San Francisco June 18-20, 2008

In the Beginning• Research reports at

Lockheed - 40 years ago

• First search service, Dialog Information Services

Same Problem• More content, more data, more digital

assets…….

Findability is Answers

• Not so easy…..

• Digital content needs metadata

Metadata Varies by Asset…• Books - Cataloging

• Author’s Name• Title of the Book• ISBN, etc.• Library of Congress

or Dewey Decimal number

• Subject Descriptors

Periodical Databases• Publications

• Title of article• Author’s Name• Publication Name, ISSN• Publication date• Abstract / Full Text• Subject Indexing

Collection Standardization ???

• Music –Cataloging• Title of work• Lyric writer• Song writer• Performer• Instrument• Categorization of musical

style

Visual Images / Video• Pictures – Archives / Flickr /YouTube

• Subject• Title of the Work• Photographer• Location & Date • User Generated Tags• Generally poor search implementation• Rights to use / remix

Corporate Assets• Intellectual Property

• Patents• Engineering drawings• Manufacturing processes

• Customer Information• Purchasing History• Agreements

• Product Information

Vocabulary Mismatch• Missing Metadata• Categorization by domain

EXPERT

The Problem:• Provide answers for non-

specialist

Missing Metadata• Full text indexing and search is default • Adding subject terms not obvious

• Microsoft Office• Adobe

• Ideal – add standard descriptive terms as part of work flow

The Synonym Problem• Different words• Different languages• Different contexts• Order of words

Failed searches

Intent ???? Choosing search terms• Expert vs. non-expert• Native language• Regional dialects• Academic training• Industry / Technology• Generation

Vocabularies – Key to Metadata• Folksonomies

• No consistency, limited

• Controlled vocabularies• Better consistency• Lack relationships

• Taxonomy / thesaurus / ontology• Relationships• Key is flexibility with multiple related terms

Multiple Search Engines • Enterprises – 4 to 5

search software vendors • Departmental solutions• Ideal – same metadata

structure• Workable – shared core

of descriptors

WAND INC. Case Study• Product and Service Taxonomies

• Uses numeric codes for preferred terms, i.e. 148087 is Agricultural Equipment

• Synonyms, related terms, broader terms• Terms translated into 11 languages• Harmonized with SIC, NAICS, Harmonized

Codes and Yellow Page headings• Over 82,000 terms with 1.3M associated

attributes covering multiple industries

WAND Current Applications• Insurance Adjustors – Replacement

of Consumer Electronics• Intellectual / Business Assets for Sale

& Licensing• Yellow Pages• Vertical Business Directories

Yellow Page Business Model• Businesses pay to be included• Need high consumer web traffic• Approximately 50% search failure rate• Failed searches problematic

• Buyer frustration• Advertiser loses value

Search Problems• Plurals – similar results

• book / books

• Spacing – very different results• video conferencing / videoconferencing • text books / textbooks

• Morphological variations - varies• wedding planning catering /wedding planning

caterer

Search Synonym Problem• Attorneys / lawyers / law firm• slr / single lens reflex• Cellular phones /cell phone / cellulars /

mobiles• Geographic Information Systems / GIS• Global Positioning Systems / GPS• Recreational vehicles / RVsResults varied greatly between synonyms

Takeaways• Metadata varies by asset• Synonyms are a major cause of search

failure• Expert vs. non-expert• Alternate terms

• Vocabularies needed to improve findability!!!

More on Findability……• Contact

Jean Bedord408-257-9221

www.EContentStrategies.comJean@EContentStrategies.com

• Questions ?????