DAO makes for easy armchair searching

Articles and blog posts on the longevity of SEO abound. Experts argue whether it`ll be able to evolve sufficiently in relation to increasingly sophisticated user needs. Some people already see it as an archaic system designed to suit search engine algorithms and spiders, without fully considering or understanding searchers themselves.

Google leads the battle of the search engines in their quest to provide relevant content to search queries. They do especially well in terms of customer experience and satisfaction. But Benchmark`s recent interview with Michael Kronthal, http://www.keynote.com/benchmark/new_media/article_interview_yahoo.shtml, however, reveals that Yahoo is making inroads on Google`s lead. They`ve begun providing Search Assists that enable users to find relevant results quicker than before. They`ve also introduced a tighter linking system that directs users to sites more in line with their needs.
These moves are welcome improvements to the search process, but simply are not enough to match the evolution of searchers in their quest for more information, rapidly and expediently. This is where DAO comes in. Digital Asset Optimisation (DAO) is the new buzzword in the online community and is being touted as the future of search.

Samsung have emerged as surprising innovators in the search race with their new set-top See`N`Search. See`N`Search is a step up from mobile search, which is in itself only in its infancy.

The principle of Samsung`s See`N`Search is that information comes to you, the user, without you having to look for it. It works by analysing keywords used in new bulletins and TV programmes, and then running a sub-feed of related information at the bottom of the screen. For those who don`t want their viewing pleasure disrupted with unnecessary information, there is the option of transferring data to handheld devices, or even to a computer that`s connected to the relevant television network.

In his post on SearchInsider, http://blogs.mediapost.com/search_insider/?p=725, David Berkowitz suggests that all the new technology in the world means nothing if people don`t use it. His question is whether people will want to be active search participants in a medium where traditionally information has washed seamlessly over them. If something on TV prompted a burning desire to know more, wouldn`t it be just as easy for viewers to keep the TV on while crossing the room to search on their PCs?

Speaking as a searcher and avid collector of arbitrary information, I think that this misses the whole point of See`N`Search`s hands-free search innovation. I believe that people appreciate tangential information. Have you ever started searching for one thing on the net and been completely sidetracked by something absolutely fascinating? The relevance to the original search can be completely absent, but you follow the track until it leads to something else equally absorbing and incidental.

People may absorb information passively via their television sets, but that doesn`t make them passive users. Nor does it mean that they won`t appreciate additional information that comes their way. Imagine the new dimension See`N`Search would add to watching CSI. Not only does it remain riveting viewing but you would also be able to see if it was based on true events and just how realistic (or farfetched) their scenarios actually are. It would put all sorts of responsibilities on producers to get their facts straight because the information gaps and plot holes would be visible for all to see. You might also see something that you would like to research further, and then turn to your PC.

Berkowitz summed it up quite nicely when he said that the future of search has nothing to do with searching. And that is the ultimate in user convenience.