Searching for the right sites through the noise

I agree that you and your

I agree that you and your brother are both onto something - something that could be big.

Perhaps a combi text box would be useful, with options like: Browse, Buy, Research, All, More Options...

I have been on the internet

I have been on the internet for almost 3 yrs. I have
done all the advertising I can and been on all the
search engines including pay for click and I even
had a company to do optimization for me. My sales
did not improve greatly. I also updated my web site.
So what's wrong with this picture?

I learned 'internet' while

I learned 'internet' while volunteering at the library at my kids high school. The librarian had taken courses at Michigan State when the internet was fairly new and she taught 'search' to me.

First, you need to start with dogpile.com because it searches all the mega search engines for you at once. Also you need to learn how to type what you want... Should have read "HDTV prices, comparison, -(function, action, works) That search should give you some price comparisons as well as features to compare without telling you how the tv works.

As soon as people understand that search engines aren't telepathic they will probably have better results. (Duh!)

I've also done another post

I've also done another post on this. Click here to go to the link or use the following address:

http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/1124

We are working on the

We are working on the problem that is "what does the user really mean?" by giving them the power to define that themselves. They can specify a generalized topic to prioritize their results. I saw your brother's article in webproworld which brought me here. He said he did a search for "hdtv" and got a bunch of info about hdtv, but he wanted to buy an hdtv. Try the query "hdtv" with a topic of "shopping" on Dumbfind:
http://beta.dumbfind.com/search?search=hdtv&concept=shopping&nested=5

It's not perfect, but can be quite useful, and is still very much a work in progress. And this is just one of myriad uses for Dumbfind.

I read both your post and

I read both your post and Rob's, I think that you're both onto something.

I believe he is being lazy, but maybe it's important to recognize that that is the nature of humanity - to be lazy - and thus, search engines need to consider that allowing a customer to remain lazy could be considered a "feature."

Also, while it is second nature for me to enhance my search using a variety of terms and techniques in order to get exactly what I want, I have to say that I rarely use search engines for the latter two steps in that four step process. I don't do this because I know search engines suck at it. Currently, I think they are good for informational research only, except for a few cases where they are able to easily predict the customer's intent (it is an effortless assumption that a customer searching for hotels really wants to book online, rather than simply determine information about a hotel and then leave).

The reality is this: multiple sources of research information exist and their variety does not detract from their value - but there is only one "best price," and if the search engine misses one, then they aren't producing accurate results. I don't trust a search engine to do my shopping for me because there is no way it knows that my brother-in-law can find me a projector at cost, or that my local Best Buy is having a manager's special.

But I digree. Perhaps the point that Rob is trying to make is that in the beginning I shouldn't have to "enhance" my search, but that the search engine should somehow guess what I am trying to accomplish. Sounds a bit like the Semantic Web.

You gave up too easily. You

You gave up too easily. You were right, he is lazy.

Yeah, sure it would be great if it read your mind. But why stop there? It should know by location data that Robert was at (name drop ) Pirillo's house and that he'd be Jonesing.

Or just maybe he should type another word in his search. Then they can improve the HDTV vendors search. None of this divining his intent.

Truth is, he's not the target of the search engine. The aggregate is. He got plenty of links that listed comparisons and buyers guides. He's just deluded that somehow a list of manufacturers is the 'right' answer. It's not.