6Sense developed out of a 2008 acquisition of search technology company Trovix.  According to a Monster press release, “6Sense patented semantic search technology utilizes intuitive, concept based searching, with a human-like understanding of the recruiting process and hiring needs.”^[1]

In case you’re not familiar, semantic search utilizes a concept called “disambiguation” to determine the probable meaning of sentences by building conceptual relationships between words, syllables, and related text.  However, the system cannot function in absence of what’s called the “conceptual basis” or primary logic required to begin building the conceptual relationships which govern the system.

But who or what determines the logic of the conceptual basis for a given semantic search system?

Intuitively, most people respond with an answer they find very simple, “The task at hand determines the logic of the conceptual basis”.  However, this simple and intuitive leap of the designer (the human mind) is an exceptionally difficult leap for the designed (computational system).

Unlike its designer, the semantic search system does not have the luxury of thinking outside of its own box.

Because the system relies on the wisdom of its designers to set the most appropriate logic, would it make sense to open up this process to a larger audience?

Given the presumably enormous amount of data and users, how many possible sub-contexts exist within the contextual premise of the initial system?  What is the probability that a conceptual basis created by a few experts will account for all of these possible combinations?  And most importantly, would differentiation at this level of granularity deliver measurable improvements to the user experience?

Well, I assume some level of diminishing marginal returns would arise; however, I’m confident this level of contextual granularity has probably not been reached in the case of 6Sense.

At the very least, I think this ad clearly communicates that successful companies are coming to realize the importance of their web channel, and therefore, the importance of relevant search and navigation.

And when it comes to relevance, we’re all beginning to realize that context is king.

I think Monster said it best. “The intelligence of the 6Sense technology contextually interprets the meaning behind words and concepts rather than relying on the narrow, literal meaning of keywords.”^[2]

I couldn’t agree more.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100201006672&newsLang=en

The excitement reached a fever pitch on Dec. 7 when Google announced it would begin displaying real-time results in its searches.

It’s an electrifying time to be a part of the Web to say the least, and it’s nice to see real-time at the forefront of conversation in the media and at industry events I’m attending.

Given that Baynote is focused on mining real-time implicit behavior on the Web, I’ve been asked lately on numerous occasions what my perspective on the real-time Web is.  Rob Hof, previously of BusinessWeek, also recognized our leadership in real-time back in August, when he featured Baynote as fifth on the list of real-time Web start-ups, behind the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Aardvark.

My take? I believe we are on the cusp of a brand new Web, one that will be driven by the power to tap into both real-time explicit and implicit intelligence, as well as the Collective Intelligence of all Internet users. Although much of the recent excitement about the real-time Web has been focused on gathering and making sense of explicit feedback captured in published sources, such as Twitter, you cannot possibly observe the Web merely by looking at it or reading it. Further, ninety-nine percent of what happens on the Web is never written, never rated, never reviewed. It’s told through implicit behaviors in the form of mouse patterns, clicks and hovers to name a few. It’s told through intent.

In the real-time Web, you can’t just watch what people say, you have to watch what they do.

At Baynote, we are focused on the business use cases of real-time, providing companies with the tools to tap into the implicit behaviors of customers on their sites, and learn, adapt and take action automatically. This Collective Intelligence is reflective of the silent majority, not the loud minority. It is free of bias, and requires no manual processing or analysis.

As the fever pitch for real-time continues to grow, we look forward to helping companies become smarter, more personalized, real-time businesses on the much longer road to actualizing a truly real-time Web. We will continue to watch this trend carefully and plan to write more about the real-time Web for business here in 2010.

Stay tuned for more insight.

My mom had an issue with Comcast recently.  I suggested she contact them through Twitter. Their Comcast Cares persona has become pretty legendary.  But my mom isn’t on Twitter and unlikely to join so I tweeted for her and she got amazing service as a result.  It was great!  I felt social!  I felt powerful!  But really I was one squeeky wheel who happened to know about how to leverage a particular channel, Twitter.

What about the more invisible, average visitor to Comcast or anyone else’s website?  What about the person who leaves disatisfied with their experience without leaving any sort of explict feedback?  What do you learn from that person and how can you leverage this to make the experience better for the next customer?   Without my tweet, my mom would have just been an upset unknown customer, searching but not finding. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Twitter.  My friend’s love Facebook.  But my mom and the big silent majority are still out there, searching on traditional marketing, eCommerce and support sites for answers.  Let them help each other find what they need.   Harness their successes and their failures without making them have to actively participate in anything.   By including everyone, you really are tapping and sharing the broadest possible “social” community, both active participants and average browsers like my mom.