Internal Revenus Service/AltaVista

[Laura B. Cohen]

[**** Insert text here ****]



>>I see the problem here. But your search was not a good one, and indicative
>>of the common mistakes people make when they go to search engines and
>>don't take advantage of the available syntax. 

>I think that's a bit of devil's advocate position.  The problem isn't that
>it's a bad search -- after all, if a library patron asked for information
>about the IRS that way, it would be perfectly reasonable -- it's the
>stupidity of search software.  Better search software recognizes phrases and
>filters out "word spam" more effectively.

I have to disagree here. Sometimes the *better* and more intelligent
software cannot recognize phrases, for example. Just look at the
case of DIALOG, which is an extremely powerful and accurate search
engine (which of course does not relevancy rate its results). Unless
you are searching on a phrase indexed field (which requires a look
at the Bluesheets), you'd better use proximity operators to put
phrases together. Try a less enhanced Silver Platter database,
and typing in phrases is no problem at all. Sometimes 
more stupid=easier.

I don't think there's anything wrong with requiring people to take 
a moment to learn how to use something. especially given today's 
search technologies. In some ways this is the something-for-nothing
ethic, which states that you should be able to type in anything
and the search engine can read your mind. This is why relevancy
rating isn't even all that effective. Happily my brain is a bit
more complex than an algorithm. At any rate, I think the issue here 
is relevancy rating, not search software intelligence.

You're right, of course, about spam recognition, something that
DIALOG and Silver Platter don't have to worry about!

  -- Laura Cohen

          Laura B. Cohen
          Network Services Librarian
          University Libraries UL-140
          University at Albany   
          Albany, New York  12222          LCOHEN at CNSVAX.ALBANY.EDU