discuss: New survey: what problems do you have when searching for information?
Subject:
New survey: what problems do you have when searching for
information?
From:
Andy Oram ####@####.####
Date:
3 Dec 2007 12:07:42 +0000
Message-Id: <22342001.1771196683658057.JavaMail.root@ball.east.ora.com>
Participants in the LDP have been helpful in the past in answering and
promoting a survey of mine (I asked why people contribute to free
documentation), so I hope you'll try out and enjoy this survey as
well.
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/12/new_survey_what.html
New survey: what problems do you have when searching for information?
The next time you have to search for information on any topic, try
recording your efforts in a survey I've just put up:
http://www.praxagora.com/search_survey/
Easy searches usually aren't interesting, so I'm seeking submissions
just about searches that covered three or more documents (besides
search engines). Relevant searches can be done online, using print
media, or both--and even other media such as radio or film.
The survey is designed to cull a variety of information about
searches, including:
* When do people turn from online sources to print sources, and vice
versa?
* Do people start with a trusted site in their field, or toss the
dice with a search on a generic search engine such as Google?
* Do people refine their search strings repeatedly in order to turn
up better results?
* Are people happy with the quality of the documents they find?
* Do people follow references they find in magazines and books? Are
they more likely to follow references they find online?
* How useful are traditional book indexes compared to online
searches?
You can also help this research effort by telling colleagues about
this survey. It's not limited to computer information; I'd like to get
results from people in many areas.
I plan to use the data to enhance the [59]research I've done during
the past three years on community documentation. I'll publish articles
about my findings on the O'Reilly Network and report on them at
conferences. Ultimately, I hope the survey will:
* Encourage authors to add more links and references that help
readers find relevant background and related information
* Spur developers to create software that makes it easy for readers
to add such links.
* Guide web sites to developing more focused search tools, tailored
to their readers' interests.
* Enrich discussions about new search strategies, such as those
suggested by the recently unveiled "[60]Automated Content Access
Protocol (ACAP).
* Uncover other techniques to help authors and publishers find more
effective ways to offer information.
References
59. http://praxagora.com/community_documentation/
60. http://www.the-acap.org/
