Steve Arnold answers some of the most frequently asked questions about implementing an enterprise search engine in his article, 20 Questions (With Answers) About Enterprise Search (Online, July/August 2004). This kind of practical information can be hard to come by.
(The article isn't available on the web in full-text, but you'll find it soon on Factiva or Westlaw's ONLINE database within 6-8 weeks.)
Many of us think in terms of the Google search box as the ideal for providing access to information, but according to Arnold, only about half of Yahoo's users use the search box to get where they want to go. The "other half use a point-and-click approach to content....A search box is not a useful tool for about half of the populations's user." It sounds like there's still a place for a controlled vocabulary and browsable categories even in the age of more advanced enterprise search products.
Cindy:
Steve's article is available through our publication, SNTReport.com, where Steve is a co-founder and Associate Editor.
Best,
K. Matthew Dames
Executive Editor
SNTReport.com