Wednesday, 9/8/2010
UPDATED, TYPOs CORRECTED 1:30 PM
BASIC INFO AT THIS ANNOUNCMENT:
GOOGLE INSTANT: Google is trying to shorten the time it takes you to do a search BY USING predictions. Start typing in a search query, it keeps guessing what you are searching for. Click TAB to choose the first selection, or scroll down to choose another, or just keep typing until the right result shows up.
Three elements: predictive results, real-time interaction as you type, ability to scroll to search. You may never have to use the "Search" button again.
Here's my live blog:
PR describes this as a state of the union address.
For a list of people resenting, see previous blog post
Schmidt yesterday said 'never underestimate the importance of fast.' Alot of today about speed.
Marissa Mayer. "Obviously we have a really big announcement."
First some updates on what's already been done this year:
Just passed one billion users a week. Already more than 500 changes this year to ranking system and site. Working on triggering so real time more relevant.
Showing Superbowl commercial. (Watch it online.)
Google bubble logo yesterday because want to be FUN and fast, hint at today's announcment.
Now today's stuff.
"A fundamental change in search"
MAYER IS going through a history of search from the early 1900s. Remember how long it took to find info? By 95 could find info in matter of minutes, but static.
Today: Real-time information. GAVE AN EXAMPLE: search lichtenstein mirror sfmoma, get real time results saying on display today.
takes people nine SECONDS to enter search query. then 15 seconds picking right result. GOOGLE HAS Been optimizing SEARCH SPEED, DOWN TO 300 millisecond search time. Also been working on connection times, fiber to home project. But a search takes 25 seconds. MOST OF THE TIME IS TAKEN UP BY HUMANS, NOT THE MACHINES. But there's a physical speed for typing and thinking,
Past few months had insight. RESULT IS "Google Instant."
GOOGLE INSTANT LAUNCHES TODAY
Search is interactive as you type. Demo: Start typing SFM, sfmoma APPEARS ON THE PAGE BEFORE YOU'VE FINISHED TYPING. If first prediction is right, hit tab to complete the search.
Tab on SF Moma, keep typing 'Woman". Get six search results about paintings of women at SF MOMaAcan click on search results. Constantly updates.
The video is the best place to see what this is like.
Thinks this will cut two seconds from search time.
In a year you save 11 hours per year from each saved second per search.
Available today in U.S., few days overseas.
Johanna and Othar:
Othar types a w, gets weather. (What if he wanted Johanna Wright?) It predicts based on what most people are looking for at the time, rather than (JUST) based on your own past searches.
If first result isn't one you want, scroll to CORRECT search ITEM. NO NEED TO CLICK ON THE "SEARCH" BUTTON ANY MORE.
THIS FALL: Plan to have this available on mobile, where it will be more useful because typing is slower.
Ben Gomes:
When proposed, some people said can't do it or will be too complex. Showed it to users, plus Larry, Sergey and Eric, and decided must do it.
In user studies, tracked eye movements to see how well it worked. Again, check the video.
Search is now an Ajax application. Doesn't refresh whole screen as YOU type and update. Autocomplete predictions come from Google's servers, back and forth to results page.
Started with one engineer a year ago, staff doubled once every six weeks.
"This is the future direction of search."
[email protected] if you want to send in questions.
Will take few months for this to be integrated into search boxes in the browsers. Including Chrome. so you have to go to the Google home page to get it. That's a shame, I rarely use the home page any more.
Surprise appearance. Sergey Brin is in the lineup of people to answer questions. Ask him something!
'Web history' personalized search the same WAY. They just added the broader predictive capability.
Sergey: I'm embarrassed to admit of a phrase I was playing with, we want to make Google the third half of your brain. Over the past several years based on capability of devices, browsers, etc., a lot of exciting things going on. this is just a piece of a really interesting change in landscape of computing.
I asked Sergey how concerned he is about privacy issues, ESPECIALLY AS PEOPLE SEE THE SEARCH ENGINE START TO PREDICT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR:
SERGEY: Privacy is something we think a lot about as a company. Most sensitive info is inside your email. we have to be great stewards of that information. make sure secure, have policies around it. Same thing with Google Instant.
OTHER COMMENTS FROM SERGEY, PARAPHRASED:
(DID HE THINK THINGS WOULD GET TO WHERE THEY ARE TODAY?)
This is pretty amazing -- the kinds of things we can do today. Moore's law. Despite things we did to bring down computer [cycles] to make this more efficient, it didn't come down to a factor of one. We have to spend more time on [predictive searches.] even though philosophically i understood x amount of computer power [keeps improving computers] etc, it's quite another thing to see it actually happen. it's quite a tribute to people working on computers everywhere.
In order to do a great job in search we have to have a lot of great content out there. Adsense creates a lot of the content out there. (pays for it.) blogger. content authoring tools. Gogole Docs. Many other great places where people generate content. Why we're excited to provide funding for those sites.
(Local news?) Stay tuned for improvements in that area.
Sergey is wearing Vibrams. Probably closest he could get to going barefoot in SFMOMA