Focuses on how search engine results can be manipulated by content providers. By using methods such as adding unrelated content to meta tags, duplicating information, and cloaking content so it is indexed differently, Web pages can improve their result rankings. While the economic incentive for achieving high rankings is significant, manipulated results undermine the trust of millions of users. Fetterly suggests research into link-based spam detection and the identification of spam blogs, and advocates the development of a clear set of rules for search engines.
Note to info pros:
For most of you, this article will not be anything you haven't heard about before. Perhaps for some in a bit greater detail.
Like we've said MANY times, it's important for info pros to understand not only how search engines work (technically) but also the business of commercial web search. Places to keep current not only include our blog but also Search Engine Land, Sphinn, Search Engine Roundtable, SEOMoz, Searchblog, and many others.
Of course, many in the SEO business (search engine optimization) do what it takes to properly reverse engineer an engine to get their clients' content to the top of the results. But, just like any other business, others do "whatever it takes" to get the job done.
It's not worth arguing whether it's a good or bad thing because, at least for now, that's the way it works.
This is why info pros need to understand a small degree about how business operates, know about a variety of search tools (or as Danny Sullivan calls them, "voices"), use the best tool for each job (just like selecting the best reference book), build collections of specialty or vertical engines (very important), and take advantage of the advanced search options that for the most part go unused but can help create a more precise result set. Of course, all of this is also worth teaching/training your patrons about. We're talking "drivers ed" of search and IR. Btw, it's also likely patrons will want to know more about the business of search.
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? 
