There's a big difference between searching for a certain content or information, and searching for a certain product. This difference has hardly been addressed yet by the current players in the field.
While searching for contents fits the medicine cupboard analogy, searching for a product is similar to visiting a shop, and browsing stuff till you find something worth buying; you don't know what you're looking for, and a vast array of things might provide the right answer.
The difference between these two searches seems to be a major reason for the current frustration with search engines.
While searching for contents fits the medicine cupboard analogy, searching for a product is similar to visiting a shop, and browsing stuff till you find something worth buying; you don't know what you're looking for, and a vast array of things might provide the right answer.
The difference between these two searches seems to be a major reason for the current frustration with search engines.