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Subject: Re: More Research Required
Posted By: William L. Rukeyser
Date: February 22, 1999 at 14:29:01
In Response to: Re: More Research Required - posted by Whitey on February 22, 1999 at 14:08:21

>
> > Another point... one of the benefits of extended attention span and an inquistive mind is learning through serendipity... looking for one thing and finding something else (perhaps more important.)
> > At some point in the future search engines may master fuzzy logic so well that they can approximate what we do now.
> > For the present... a fundimental (but not obvious) limit to on-line research is that we're often limited to searching for that which we already know we want.

>
> I'm a little perplexed by what you're saying about the lack of serendipty online. It seems like I often face as much, if not more, serendipity online than elsewhere. I never know what my search will find me -- maybe I'm not as adept at searching as you are and so have not refined it so that I only get those Web sites that specifically relate to what I INTENDED to get.

> What's more I always have to post notes on the monitor so that I can remember what I started out to find! If that's not evidence of serendipity, I don't know what is. Every time I log on, I learn something new and unexpected.

> Finally, don't we only search for something specific?

> Please clarify what you're saying here.

> Thanks!
>

I was thinking about the limits of search engines and the manner in which they conduct searches based on defined key words.
Your point is well taken that following links on the web can take you to unexpected sites... however, those links have been determined by other people... the web user in simply following a path already laid out by someone else.

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* Comments: > > > > > Another point... one of the benefits of extended attention span and an inquistive mind is learning through serendipity... looking for one thing and finding something else (perhaps more important.) > > > At some point in the future search engines may master fuzzy logic so well that they can approximate what we do now. > > > For the present... a fundimental (but not obvious) limit to on-line research is that we're often limited to searching for that which we already know we want. > > > > I'm a little perplexed by what you're saying about the lack of serendipty online. It seems like I often face as much, if not more, serendipity online than elsewhere. I never know what my search will find me -- maybe I'm not as adept at searching as you are and so have not refined it so that I only get those Web sites that specifically relate to what I INTENDED to get. > > What's more I always have to post notes on the monitor so that I can remember what I started out to find! If that's not evidence of serendipity, I don't know what is. Every time I log on, I learn something new and unexpected. > > Finally, don't we only search for something specific? > > Please clarify what you're saying here. > > Thanks! > > > > I was thinking about the limits of search engines and the manner in which they conduct searches based on defined key words. > Your point is well taken that following links on the web can take you to unexpected sites... however, those links have been determined by other people... the web user in simply following a path already laid out by someone else.