Comments on: AADL “Search Cloud” http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/ A library-geek blog Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:39:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Edward Vielmetti http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-38513 Edward Vielmetti Sat, 30 Dec 2006 06:59:56 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-38513 I know why "cookery" is a prominent search string in your results - that's via an RSS subscription to cookbook updates in the catalog that I'm subscribed to. I know why “cookery” is a prominent search string in your results - that’s via an RSS subscription to cookbook updates in the catalog that I’m subscribed to.

]]> By: john http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-37534 john Tue, 26 Dec 2006 16:12:26 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-37534 Well, if you're going to go in this direction, you'll inevitably wind up handing over a fair amount of power to your users. Abuse will happen. Just have policy and procedure in place to deal with vandalism as it comes. We have yet to see it in any significant amount and we're really not worried about it at all. If you ignore it and don't make a big deal of it when it happens, the payoff isn't big enough for them to try it again. John Well, if you’re going to go in this direction, you’ll inevitably wind up handing over a fair amount of power to your users. Abuse will happen. Just have policy and procedure in place to deal with vandalism as it comes. We have yet to see it in any significant amount and we’re really not worried about it at all. If you ignore it and don’t make a big deal of it when it happens, the payoff isn’t big enough for them to try it again.

John

]]> By: Mike http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-34901 Mike Mon, 25 Dec 2006 15:52:52 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-34901 Dave, Thanks for the info. The way we're currently building our cloud is only based on 10 days worth of searches so it would be easier to manipulate than yours would be (less than 100 searches to get in, certainly). But that may in fact be the answer, to look at a bigger time period (although our system does not naturally keep that AFAIK). Dave,

Thanks for the info. The way we’re currently building our cloud is only based on 10 days worth of searches so it would be easier to manipulate than yours would be (less than 100 searches to get in, certainly). But that may in fact be the answer, to look at a bigger time period (although our system does not naturally keep that AFAIK).

]]> By: Dave Pattern http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-32770 Dave Pattern Sun, 24 Dec 2006 22:58:11 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-32770 Mike -- I'm not sure about John, but you'd have to be determined as you'd need to rack up over a 1000 separate searches to make it into the cloud. Also, I've only used words from successful searches so you'd also have to pick a word that produces results. I don't know about your Librarians, but at Huddersfield one of the first thing they did was to look for amusing sequences of words in the cloud (e.g. "self service sex skills" and "understanding victorian violence")! Mike — I’m not sure about John, but you’d have to be determined as you’d need to rack up over a 1000 separate searches to make it into the cloud. Also, I’ve only used words from successful searches so you’d also have to pick a word that produces results.

I don’t know about your Librarians, but at Huddersfield one of the first thing they did was to look for amusing sequences of words in the cloud (e.g. “self service sex skills” and “understanding victorian violence”)!

]]> By: Mike http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-31742 Mike Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:44:02 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-31742 John, Following Dave's lead, I proposed <a href="http://ex-libris.ca/?p=153" rel="nofollow">something similar</a> a while back. My boss is convinced that kids will attempt to manipulate the cloud. Are you taking any measures to control what appears in the cloud? Not sure if you saw it but she was more impressed with my proposal for a <a href="http://ex-libris.ca/?p=177" rel="nofollow">genre cloud</a>. Happy Holidays! John,

Following Dave’s lead, I proposed something similar a while back. My boss is convinced that kids will attempt to manipulate the cloud. Are you taking any measures to control what appears in the cloud?

Not sure if you saw it but she was more impressed with my proposal for a genre cloud.

Happy Holidays!

]]> By: ACPL’s IT Blog » Blog Archive » Search term cloud http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-29820 ACPL’s IT Blog » Blog Archive » Search term cloud Sat, 23 Dec 2006 19:33:35 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-29820 [...] It is always funny. Tim and I were talking about this idea of creating a list of top items that people were searching at the ACPL. John Blyberg has created the search term cloud. This is such a great idea I am going to have to copy it. Sorry John [...] […] It is always funny. Tim and I were talking about this idea of creating a list of top items that people were searching at the ACPL. John Blyberg has created the search term cloud. This is such a great idea I am going to have to copy it. Sorry John […]

]]> By: Sean http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-29793 Sean Sat, 23 Dec 2006 19:30:17 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-29793 I love this idea. I have been wanting to get data from opac on what people are reading but I am having trouble doing this well. This is great! I can look at searching topics with no probelm. I am sorry John but I am going to have to copy this idea. Have a great Xmas I love this idea. I have been wanting to get data from opac on what people are reading but I am having trouble doing this well. This is great! I can look at searching topics with no probelm. I am sorry John but I am going to have to copy this idea. Have a great Xmas

]]> By: Dave Pattern http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-29240 Dave Pattern Sat, 23 Dec 2006 10:00:39 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-29240 John -- have you any stats on failed searches (i.e. that produced zero results)? When I generated the cloud for our OPAC searches, I found the analysis of the failed searches provided some useful information about our users: http://www.daveyp.com/blog/index.php/archives/147/ ...it'd be interesting to know if any of your patrons typed "renew" into the search box too! John — have you any stats on failed searches (i.e. that produced zero results)?

When I generated the cloud for our OPAC searches, I found the analysis of the failed searches provided some useful information about our users:

http://www.daveyp.com/blog/index.php/archives/147/

…it’d be interesting to know if any of your patrons typed “renew” into the search box too!

]]> By: Laura http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-28276 Laura Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:52:47 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/12/22/aadl-search-cloud/#comment-28276 Wowie! What interests me most is how many people type in search terms using articles--"the da vinci code" (and "the davinci code"), "the devil wears Prada," etc. And yet many of the authors are entered as lastname, firstname. It's a fascinating peek into user searching habits, and what bits of that bibliographic instruction we're all subjected to at one point in school stick and which don't. Wowie! What interests me most is how many people type in search terms using articles–”the da vinci code” (and “the davinci code”), “the devil wears Prada,” etc. And yet many of the authors are entered as lastname, firstname. It’s a fascinating peek into user searching habits, and what bits of that bibliographic instruction we’re all subjected to at one point in school stick and which don’t.

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