There's a big difference between searching for a certain content or information, and searching for a certain product. This difference has hardly been addressed yet by the current players in the field.
While searching for contents fits the medicine cupboard analogy, searching for a product is similar to visiting a shop, and browsing stuff till you find something worth buying; you don't know what you're looking for, and a vast array of things might provide the right answer.
The difference between these two searches seems to be a major reason for the current frustration with search engines.
2 comments
[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 13.9 ms ] threadWhile searching for contents fits the medicine cupboard analogy, searching for a product is similar to visiting a shop, and browsing stuff till you find something worth buying; you don't know what you're looking for, and a vast array of things might provide the right answer.
The difference between these two searches seems to be a major reason for the current frustration with search engines.
I do not think a one-size-fits-all search engine would be the answer here. :)