Getting the Info to the End User: Ask.com's RSS Smart Answers Continue, Not Only Blogs
A few weeks ago we posted about the launch of Ask.com's new RSS Smart Answer program. Since this is an Ask.com post. We will continue our policy and after clicking the "read more" link you can read the update.
Although RSS is very popular in some circles, it's not in others. So, Ask not only wants to help promote RSS (Ask also owns Bloglines) but also get the information the searcher might find useful ON a Web Results page. That's the area where most people go. Smart Answers run the gamut from what "ready reference shelves" about people to issues to events.
A couple of months ago, we began RSS Smart Answers. The idea is to take syndicated content (most often RSS) and if trigger words (they can be quickly and easily changed to better meet users needs) are indicated in the query, the very top of the results page includes the syndicated content. Don't forget this is in ADDITION to the "regular" or "organic" results users will are used to.
What follows is a sample (not comprehensive) of several RSS Smart Answers that have been added since Ask began to roll-out the product. More new material each week and again, this is just a small sample. Finally, as you'll see, it's not only blogs but other forms of syndicated material. Also, we're just giving you one trigger word or phrase. There are other ways to trigger many of these. Much more to come not only in terms of content but how we can use this material. Stay tuned.
Examples:
+ Hurricane Advisories
This is a combo. First, the latest via the National Hurricane Center feed from Miami (RSS Smart Answer) and then our ready reference shelf of hurricane and tropical storm resources (Smart Answer).
+ eBooks
Again a combo. First, some of the MANY new full text (and free books) added to the Online Books Page and then info (in Smart Answer form) about the upcoming World eBook Fair.
+ Phishing Scams
This database, where the feed comes from, is suggested by the Anti-Phishing Working Group
A family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success. Read more »
Recently I have found myself cooing over visualisation maps (and heat maps) of health and well being resources. The content rich data is overlayed with mapping technologies, and some interesting themes and patterns are emerging.
A lot of the talk around social media in the last year has been around information overload. Social media has provided us with new and exciting ways to create content. But it has also meant learning new ways to manage and engage with social media tools. Are we teetering on the edge of an information overload precipice?
Information overload is a figment of your imagination. Or a failure of your filter. Or a symptom of your technological submissiveness. Depends on who you ask.
What if you had to sort through 3.5 million articles and social media posts a day and try to pull out the most relevant items for your organisation? What if you then had to cobble it all together into something readable for your top groups and executives in your organisation?
Alacra Compliance saves time by aggregating information from both free and fee-based sources and enabling users to conduct an accurate federated search across these sources (coined “simultaneous search” by Alacra).
FreePint Family
Quilting big data threads
The fallacy of information overload
Information overload: fact, fantasy or filter failure? 
