Daily Archives: 10/12/2007

IT, Technology

Why less is more…

I always wondered about the total number of hit in a Google search. The Google Operating System Blog explains the process in more detail; Google Finds Less Search Results.

The surprise to me was here:

“When you perform a search, the results are often displayed with the information: Results 1 – 10 of about XXXX. Google’s calculation of the total number of search results is an estimate. We understand that a ballpark figure is valuable, and by providing an estimate rather than an exact account, we can return quality search results faster.”

I’ve seen business plans based on that estimate. That it is;

  1. An estimate.
  2. Likely to radically change overnight.

is shocking. Just proves that you should never assume.

France, IT, LeWeb3

Be careful Scoble…

Google’s new My Location feature apparently saved Scoble in London and now he’s counting on it in France while at LeWeb3.

One tip: Don’t use it indoors. Or at least if you do; don’t count on the results to save your life.

In my experience it works perfectly outside but the moment you get behind a window it starts putting you in the wrong place.

France, IT, LeWeb3

Leaving for Le Web 3 – One Man & His Blog

Leaving for Le Web 3 it one of a million posts about leaving for Paris.

It feels like I’m living in the center of the universe for a day. It’s rather odd sitting at my office desk reading all this stuff. I should be moving!!!

Last year, Adam wrote about his experiences at LeWeb3 (and tried to name this year LeWeb4!)…

I suspect that much of the reaction to Le Web 3 shows that the time has come for blogging and Web 2.0 conferences to start diversifying. One conference can no longer meet everyone’s requirements, and within the next few years we’re going to need to see a whole range of conferences in this area, from the very technical, to the very educational.

Le Web 3 was a brave, if faltering, step in that direction, and for that, Loïc and team deserve some praise. The really big question, though, is how well they take onboard the very valid criticisms made of the event and make sure Le Web 4 is clear and open in its intentions, and smoother in running when its time comes. I wish them well.

This all means that the question for Adam (and the others sitting on trains and planes) is very simple…

What are you expecting this year? Or, like me, are you buying blind on last years experience?

Finally, this is one of the posts that talked about a range of European conferences; has anything happened there or is Loïc dominating things?

IT, Products, Technology

Enterprise Software Too Boring: Oh do come along…

SmoothSpan has a good review of the spat that Scoble has created around his comments about ERP software not being sexy. You read Scoble’s comments here.

SmoothSpan does a good job of defending the ERP cause pointing out that this is probably because Scoble doesn’t know enough about ERP software. But that misses the larger point…

Most of the products that bloggers and journalists are reviewing they know little about and don’t understand the user case for.

A good example of this is the Kindle that was the subject of last week’s blog battle started by Scoble. Most of the people that wrote the Kindle off are not big book readers. They are big PC users and didn’t understand why anyone would need an eBook.

If you’re in front of your PC all day why would you need a Kindle? Doesn’t mean that there is no market for the product, just that you’re not part of it.

Back to ERPs. Most A-list bloggers work in small organizations or are freelance. Why should they see the benefits of an ERP? Any freelance that installs an ERP is mad; however it doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful software.