CAE Weblog

Search Wars - The Clone Wars Revisited

It's been a big week for Search.  Earlier this week, Microsoft launched Bing and then Google ups the ante with Google Squared.  All this on top of recent launches for Searchme, Kosmix, Meehive (collaborative search that utilizes Facebook), and Wolfram Alpha ("computational knowledge engine").

Microsoft is already being slammed for its $100M marketing campaign including a live premiere on Hulu scheduled for Monday (June 8th) at 9:00 PM ET.  So its easy to dismiss it as just one search clone but it does have some nice features that should not be ignored.  And it has already surpassed Yahoo search (at least in the short run) according to one report.

I have not been overly impressed with the relevancy of results on Bing so far but I do like the expanded search result roll-overs and suggestions for related searches.  Google shines on its simple interface and relevant (mostly) results but lacks tools to help the user refine their search or discover related information.

Google Squared competes more with Wolfram Alpha than Bing as it presents its results in a suggested square or table where the user can adjust the rows and columns to add or delete criteria.  These search engines are especially helpful when comparing results for products or similar items (check out the roller coasters example).

What does this all mean and who will win the Search Wars?  We may need to wait for Web 3.0 to find out but one thing is for sure... search will become increasing important as content continues to explode and users have more difficulty finding what they want with conventional, hierarchical navigation.

Tagged: search search wars Bing Google Squared Kosmix Searchme Wolfram Alpha Meehive Hulu 

Technology Roadmap

While most association CIOs and IT Directors have some vision for their future technology, most do not have a detailed technology roadmap that describes the key desired technologies to support future initiatives, the interdependencies, timelines, budget implications, etc.  Many technology requests pop up suddenly from siloed business needs.  This results in delays, system conflicts, budget issues, and wasted resources.

Given the rapid developments for information technologies, it is impossible to develop a long-term roadmap that is cast in stone.  There will be necessary adjustments as new technologies emerge and business needs change.  However, a well-defined plan that can be updated provides a thoughtful strategy for staying ahead of the technology curve.

Some elements of a good technology roadmap include:

• An estimate of the relative benefit of implementing a specific technology
• An estimate of the level of effort (cost & staff resources) to implement each technology
• An estimate of the phase in which a given technology should be implemented
• Notes regarding and dependencies, constraints, or associated risks
• A draft timeline showing phases and overlapping initiatives

If you need assistance documenting requirements or selecting technologies, be sure to work with a consulting firm that is not tied to a specific solution.  Rather they should have experience with a wide variety of competing technologies and be able to help you assess the strengths and weaknesses relative to your unique needs.

More on technology roadmaps can be found on Wikipedia.

Tagged: technology roadmap web strategy technology planning  

Speed Sourcing -- New Out-sourcing Trend Worth Considering

Speed Sourcing is a new trend that attempts to streamline the process of selecting a vendor.  See the recent article in CIO for details.  In my opinion, most of the RFPs we receive are not well crafted and do not help associations adequately evaluate and compare potential vendors capabilities and apples-to-apples cost estimates.

Having worked on both sides of the vendor/client table, I can see real value to Speed Sourcing for many technology projects, especially within the association/nonprofit commununity. Some warn of doom and disaster and this could be true for very large (7-figure+) and complex projects, but many times organizations spend more effort on the vendor selection process than they do the actual implementation.  Call it what you want...a more effecient and effective process is needed.

Or we could continue to see such ridiculous processes as I have witnessed lately.  One example... organization hires vendor to develop RFQ that goes out to large 30+ vendor list who spend considerable effort (read increased overhead) to respond; list is narrowed to six finalist who receive more detailed RFP with "requirements," again developed by vendor who does not fully understand organization or technologies involved; vendors respond again with elaborate proposals; all 6 vendors asked to do 2-hour presentations; final vendor selected based on questionable criteria.

What's wrong with (1) starting with a smaller list of potential vendors, including those with whom you have a trusted relationship and at least one new vendor that comes recommended from peer organizations; (2) discovery meetings with each vendor to discuss relevant experience and expertise with similar projects, proposed approach, and hourly T&M rate; (3) choose partner with detailed SOW for deliverables, milestones, change process, etc.; and (4) get started?

I would be interested in what has worked best for your association in the past and your thoughts on this new approach.  Would it work for you?

Tagged: Speed Sourcing RFP vendor selection
 

Sending Large Files

We have all experienced the frustration of sending a large PowerPoint or data file, only to get a bounce-back saying the attachment is too large, or worse yet, it just goes into a black hole.  So you don't even know that it did not arrive.

There was a recent post about this problem on the ASAE and the Center's Technology Listserv.  Several users raved about the capabilities of YouSendIt.com.  It allows one to send files up to 100MB in size to anyone for free.  The sender gets a confirmation and the recipient gets an email with a message from the sender and a download button.  It couldn't be easier.

They also have a new service called SiteDrop that allows you to add a file upload feature to your website with no FTP required.  This service has a 14-day free trial but otherwise has license fees of $29.99 a month or $299 a year for up to 100 file transfers a month.

Tagged:  YouSendIt SiteDrop file transfer
 

Social Technology Survey

If you work for any type of nonprofit organization, I urge you to invest a few minutes to take a survey about your current or planned use of social technology (any type of tool -- blogs, message boards, listservs, wikis, chat rooms, etc. -- that help your constituents connect with you and each other for sharing).

This survey has been developed by our friends at Principled Innovation (Jeff De Cagna) and Omnipress (Dave McKnight) and represents the first significant assessment of social technology use within the nonprofit sector.  Everyone who completes the survey will receive an executive summary of the results by the middle of August.

This is a great way to benchmark your use of social technology against your peers and revise your web strategies for the future.  I hope that you will seriously consider participating.

Tagged:  social technology survey Principled Innovation Omnipress Jeff De Cagna Dave McKnight

Vendor and Client Roles in Successful Projects

Becky Granger, CAE of EDUCAUSE shared the cartoon below from the CodingHorror blog on the ASAE Technology Listserve today.  This cartoon represents what can happen when there is not good communications and project management from both the vendor and the client.  We at Ironworks pride ourselves in making sure this does not happen with our mission -- Never Fail a Client.

Click to Enlarge

Tagged:  Coding Horror project management ASAE Listserv Becky Granger

Man with a Laptop (but no email on my PDA)

Okay, I'm back from a blog hiatus and now have my laptop operating with Office 2007.  I was apprehensive after my first few days and past experiences with Microsoft upgrades, but I have to say that I really like the time-saving features of Office 2007.  The format painter now works across all products including email in Outlook and you get formatting options pop-up whenever you block text.  It takes a little getting used to but really is nice.

So, I have my laptop running faster and better than ever.  (The troubles were not due to Office 2007 but rather one of several other programs that I had downloaded -- still not sure which one.)  Meanwhile, my Nokia 9300 just wants to freeze up with Blackberry Internet Service.  The phone works great as does the Nokia PC Suite that links with Outlook for my calendar and contacts.

You can see where I'm going with this, right?  The iPhone is out today and that must be more than a coincidence.  If I had not broken down and asked for the 30GB iPod for Christmas...if I had only waited... I just might be able to rationalize the purchase.  What to do?

Tagged: Office 2007 iPhone

Man Without a Country (er laptop)

Okay, I have been putting off my upgrade to Office 2007.  I have been intrigued by the cool new tools and features, not to mention the upgraded look.  But I have been nervous about the learning curve and all the other things that can go wrong.

As I have been receiving more and more documents in 07 versions (docx), I knew it was time to bite the bullet.  So I scheduled the upgrade with our help desk for a day when I knew I would be out of the office and not needing my laptop.  I came back around noon to find my laptop back at my desk with Office 2007 installed.  Great.  But I knew I was in trouble when Sam said this was the smoothest upgrade so far.  And he didn't even knock on wood! 

It is now mid-afternoon on Day 2 and I still don't have access to my laptop.  I'll let you know "the rest of the story."

Ms Dewey

There is a lot of interest in search these days, especially enterprise search tools.  We are using advanced search projects such as Endeca with several of our clients to help them create more successful site searches for their users, include internal resources for those who have security access (or external resources from other trusted sites), and produce results that guide the user progressively to their goal.

For a really fun glance at the future of search, try asking Ms Dewey.  Check out the Best Of or simply type in the word "search" and see what you get.  Definitely a step up from Jeeves.

Tagged:  search Ms Dewey

59 Smartest Orgs Online

Which associations are doing the best of job leveraging the new capbilities of Web 2.0?  Seth Godin posted a list today on his Squidoo Org 2.0 site.  My list would certainly include some additional organizations but it fun to see who did and who did not make the list.  It's based on those sites that really engage their members/donors and allow them to contribute content through stories and feedback.

Tagged: Org 2.0 Web 2.0 Seth Godin Squidoo