Category: Search

OS X: Manually index a drive with Spotlight

Posted on September 2, 2011 by ellen

By default, Spotlight indexes local drives. However it is possible to force it to index networked AFP (Apple File Protocol) volumes as well.

Open Terminal, and type

sudo bash

It will ask for your password.

The role of search in corporate learning programs

Posted on January 18, 2009 by ellen

Enterprise Search as Learning Technology

With the current training industry interest in elearning trends like informal learning, social and collaborative Web 2.0 learning technologies, it’s easy to overlook the importance of the humble search box as a learning tool.

More important now than ever

As companies seek to increase productivity with fewer people and resources, one way to improve efficiency is to create better connections between people and the information they need to do their jobs. It’s not hard to make big improvements in the search situation companies’ internal networks: the barriers that exist between knowledge workers and and information resources within company intranets are profound and economically significant. They fall into several categories:

Information is hidden away in personal folders in documents that cannot be accessed through the web, and are not searched by a search engine.
Web-based information that could have wider access is locked down to a small group of people.
Information is available, but not located where people think to look for it.
Information is available and can be searched but there are problems with the search engine’s judgement or display which prevent the user from finding it.

Site Optimization: use Google Suggest and Google Trends to determine top searches

Posted on February 17, 2008 by ellen

Google Suggest and Google Trends are easy-to-use tools you might not have thought of using for search engine optimization (SEO).

Google Suggest suggests terms related to whatever keywords you type in, and lists the number of results for each one. According to the FAQ, it uses data about the overall popularity of various searches to help rank the refinements it offers.

Implementing search using indexing services and asp

Posted on March 11, 2007 by ellen

I wanted to add a search function to the learning modules housed in our learning management system. These modules are of several types, most are HTML/javascript-based modules, but there are also flash, pdf, and MS producer ones as well. Many of them are meant to be viewed while under SCORM control, so it is important that the search feature not interfere with SCORM communication by allowing the user to navigating away from the current module or by removing the surrounding frameset.

When under SCORM control, the script must be able to detect which module is current, and search only within that directory. When not under SCORM control, the user can have the option of searching all content on the server.

It is also important to be able to hold obsolete or private items out of the search.

Google vs. AskJeeves

Posted on July 24, 2005 by ellen

A 1-round search battle

I recently read that AskJeeves (now “ask.com”) would be making some changes to try to reclaim some market share from Google. I hadn’t used that site in a while, so I decided to test it against Google. I came up with one of those questions that rattle around in my head:

How do they train oil tanker captains?

Ask.com Results (click to enlarge)