Another day… another change to Google.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting a major change to Google that means rather than providing us with just a big list of links to websites, the search engine is striving to provide us with the direct answer to the questions we’re asking.
In other words, Google is trying to make the leap from “data” to “information.”
In order to organise all this knowledge, Google has acquired a product called Freebase, a database of more than 20 million topics or”entities”. As an example, the entity of “John F Kennedy” includes biographical information, pictures of him, famous sayings, and much much more.
Using this data will help Google to understand semantically what it is we’re looking for.
Confused? Watch this video.
However, I reckon there are a number of ways that Google already gives us information now, rather than just blue links.
My favourite example is an oldie but goodie: “what’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything?”
Here is Google helping us with infomation about the Olympics:
And of course what about the weather:
This kind of “information answer” in Google is currently known as the Google One Box. Over the years Google has introduced a number of changes in the USA version of the One Box that have gradually arrived on our British shores.
As they say, the more things change the more they stay the same!
Hope this has given you a little something to talk about at your next trip to the pub…
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