Gary Price has two new posts that make for some good weekend reading.
The first is named New Academic Paper Offers a Review of Weblog Searching which links to a 13 page PDF. Here is the abstract;
We present an analysis of a large blog search engine query log, exploring a number of angles such as query intent, query topics, and user sessions. Our results show that blog searches have different intents than general web searches, suggesting that the primary targets of blog searchers are tracking references to named entities, and locating blogs by theme. In terms of interest areas, blog searchers are, on average, more engaged in technology, entertainment, and politics than web searchers, with a particular interest in current events. The user behavior observed is similar to that in general web search: short sessions with an interest in the first few results only.
The second is named More Patents and Patent Apps for Microsoft and Yahoo which has five links to patent applications, mostly from MSN. Here they are;
- System and method for employing social networks for information discovery
- Suggesting a discussion group based on indexing of the posts within that discussion group
- Automatic categorization of query results
- Method and system for creating an embedded search link document
- Method and system for providing a disposable email address
Enjoy the weekend reading, I know I will.