When I do repetitive tasks, I am able to listen to audio books. It is my purposeful way of expanding the breadth of topics I think about. The latest effort of this type has involved John Battelle’s book on “Search”.
After listening to this book, I have decided to purposefully contribute my behavior to the cause. Here is what I am doing and why.
I conduct frequent searches as part of my work and all other aspects of my life. I assume you do the same. I have fallen into the habit of using Google for these activities. I regard it as the most useful search engine.
I have decided to use a greater number of search engines. I used to do this as a way to explore what different services had to offer. I now intend to to so for a different reason. I am convinced the search industry needs samples of my behavior. These data will be helpful in determining how people like me use the Internet and then using this information to improve the experience for all of us. I have made contributions of this type before. I have created several web sites that link to other web sites. Google has analyzed my decisions and has combined my “votes” on what web resources are valuable with the votes of many others to generate its page rank approach to ordering the results of your web searches for your consideration.
Contributing examples of my “click stream” works in a somewhat similar way. The terms I use in my searches and the sites I visit when receiving results from my searches are data that may somehow be useful. Such data represents a compliment to data on how the web contributors have cross linked their resources. On one side there is a system for prioritizing what providers have to offer and on the other a system for contextualizing what searchers are looking for and use.
You can contribute too (or just explore some new ideas if you see things in a different way). Try:
1) the A9 toolbar
2) Yahoo Y!Q
