Warmest Greetings,

Is The Internet Experiencing A Mid-Life Crisis?  

:: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 ::

There's a trend in the topics of late regarding the future of the Web, the future of search engines, and how humans interact with them. Having been working in the Internet industry since 1995, I've witnessed continuous change and experimentation. There's no slow down in sight, but there is a sense, to me anyway, that some companies and individuals are trying to solve problems created by the Internet (such as Spam and 30,000 search results for one word, the teeny tiny text fad...). Others are still innovating and pushing the creative factor.

In today's blog, I'll take you on a tour of some of the hoopla.

Yesterday I mentioned Directories that talk to you. There's much more than this going on!

Search Engines

New look, new personality? A New Interface for MSN Search? and New Look at Search.Yahoo.Com

Search Options

Google's Desktop Search

Microsoft Desktop Search

MetaSearch. Still inventing itself? Ho Hum.Searching for a search engine

Toolbars

Too many to list. Is there a market for this? My guess is someone will come out with a toolbar killing tool (like pop up removal), toolbar organizer tool, browser with enough space for 10 toolbars at the top that co-exist or a "Toolbar of the Day" option.


The Future of the Web

The trend is "in your face".

Businesses Not Ready for Web 2.0

    "So says Internet Visionary, Chris Tinney. Tinney says the message to consumers from last weeks conference in San Francisco called “Web 2.0” is that the web is about to get up close and personal. He says the message to online marketers is “Evolve or Die!” Continuing to do things as you always have will soon make your web site appear old, out of touch and stodgy in the new world."

Web 2.0

Farewell, Web 1.0! We Hardly Knew Ye

    "In Web 2.0, news items, blog entries, financial results and images are no longer locked on virtual pages, but easily detachable."

The Future of Search

Search: The Current and Next Big Thing

    "Tuesday afternoon, Idealab founder and chairman, Bill Gross, set the stage with his "High Order Bit." He began with a look back at the three breakthroughs of search: creating a full text index of the entire Web, using price as a relevance metric, and using link strength as a relevance metric. Gross set up his current project, SNAP, by saying that after you get the results of your search is when your journey begins. To make that component of the search more user friendly, he proposed that it is important to enable the user to change the order and refine the search results, to use user feedback to take advantage of what other users have done after performing that search, and to access transparency to expose how a search system works."

Must read research:

Filthy Linking Rich And Getting Richer!, by Mike Grehan

Weighing the Time of a Link: Temporal Link Analysis

Dr. E. Garcia

The Future of SEO/SEM

Oceans apart.

UK and mainland Europe search engine marketers unite and SEMPO

A Usable Internet Experience

Mark Hurst's Introducing the Customer-Centric Worldview

    "Whether online or offline, customers now have unparalleled power to research and transact with companies exactly when, where, and how they choose. There is a new worldview at work that companies must either embrace, or ignore at their peril."

The Web is a Human Creation

    "Some believe in regulating the Web in order to bring about a “code-compliant world.” Others believe standards oppose the basic openness of the Web.

I recently read a blog journal that went as far as to suggest the creation of a Web site blacklist. Much to my dismay, a number of users commented that they have already started such a list."

The Dark Side

Windows 2000 on British Navy Submarines.


What Do You Think?

The Future of the Web and its Effects - Discussion here

....................................

Search Engine Optimization Conference - Sweden

Keep up, courtesy of SearchEngineRoundtable, where Barry Schwartz (RustyBrick) is reporting from the two-day conference.

Worthy Nod To

New list of hot SEO forums, blogs, etc. - Top SEO Forums. It's always nice when someone else does the work for you.

Along those same lines, for User Centered/Usability research, articles, sites, etc. are:

Mine:
Usability Design Research

User Centered Design Web Sites

Wish Was Mine:

Dey Alexander's User Experience Resource Collection

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 10/27/2004 10:11:45 AM

:: Today's Post Permalink | Back to the BLOG Home
:: Website Evaluations
:: Email this Post  
:.................................

Feed Bin

Learn how to make RSS Feed Buttons

Highly Recommended!
(Read review)
Search Engine Marketing Kit, by Dan Thies

• User Centered Design
• Usability Industry Research
• Increase Website Conversions
• Starter Ecommerce Checklist

• Web Design & The Usability Effect
• Usability and SEO Humor

Crooked sunglasses

My artistic friends love this picture.

• About Kim Krause Berg
• My Articles
• Me Again (My Fave Blog Posts)
• August 2005 : Expanding on Usability - An Interview with Kim Krause Berg
• Kim's Wish List

Recent Posts

How to Quench Your Web Site Visitors' Thirst

Search Engine Optimization/Marketing Industry Launches New UK Organization

Discoveries in User Centered Design and Small Business Support

Search Engines No Longer Represent All Web Sites

Affordable Newsletter Usability Help Available for Politicians

Do Not Drop Your Web Site Off the Search Engine Cliff

Buy Online and Save Sexuality

How To Quench Your Web Site Visitors' Thirst

Web Site Usability. It's not a Question of Why, but For Who and Why Not?

Google to Launch Own Browser?

Monthly Archives

It's That Book Again

Conversions Topic is New York Times Best Seller (Seriously)

Kim is a Member of the Usability Professionals Association

"This report exceeded my expectations. After reading it a few times, I went through and highlighted those parts of your actionable advice that I want to implement right away... I ended up highlighting most of the report. Stellar job. I won't hesitate to recommend you to one of my own clients." -- Andy Hagans of AndyHagans.com

"I have implemented the most obvious changes and I suppose the fact that we've seen an immediate increase in sales/conversions is no coincidence. I'd highly recommend your service to anyone running a serious web based business." -- Steve Clay, Plumeriabay.com

"As soon as we get our hands on one of her usability studies, my clients and I have a better understanding of what needs to be done with their sites to make them the best they can be from their site visitors' perspective."
-- Jill Whalen, HighRankings.com

"This is an exemplary piece of work." -- Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz.org

View more Testimonials | Clients
Learn about Website improvement services.