Google Instant

sshafran

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Google Instant - Search as you go.

Here is the excerpt from Google:
Google Instant is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type.

The most obvious change is that you get to the right content much faster than before because you don't have to finish typing your full search term, or even press "search." Another shift is that seeing results as you type helps you formulate a better search term by providing instant feedback. You can now adapt your search on the fly until the results match exactly what you want. In time, we may wonder how search ever worked in any other way.

Benefits
Faster Searches: By predicting your search and showing results before you finish typing, Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.

Smarter Predictions: Even when you don't know exactly what you're looking for, predictions help guide your search. The top prediction is shown in grey text directly in the search box, so you can stop typing as soon as you see what you need.

Instant Results: Start typing and results appear right before your eyes. Until now, you had to type a full search term, hit return, and hope for the right results. Now results appear instantly as you type, helping you see where you're headed, every step of the way.
 
Google Instant - Search as you go.

Here is the excerpt from Google:
Google Instant is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type.

The most obvious change is that you get to the right content much faster than before because you don't have to finish typing your full search term, or even press "search." Another shift is that seeing results as you type helps you formulate a better search term by providing instant feedback. You can now adapt your search on the fly until the results match exactly what you want. In time, we may wonder how search ever worked in any other way.

Benefits
Faster Searches: By predicting your search and showing results before you finish typing, Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.

Smarter Predictions: Even when you don't know exactly what you're looking for, predictions help guide your search. The top prediction is shown in grey text directly in the search box, so you can stop typing as soon as you see what you need.

Instant Results: Start typing and results appear right before your eyes. Until now, you had to type a full search term, hit return, and hope for the right results. Now results appear instantly as you type, helping you see where you're headed, every step of the way.

Yahoo already does this
 
This liveblogging article shows how the conference went through.

Live Blog: Google Search Event (Instant Search)

This is an interesting approach by Google, but I am skeptic that it will provide the desired results, because once you unleash this technology to worldwide audience, you will have every imaginable type of feedback and bad publicity. Most of them will again come from privacy related people, concerned with how Google determines what the user is "thinking" while searching.

My opinion is that the reaction will be mostly negative because it will harm the long-tail traffic, as the users are engaged even before completing their search query. Searchers are always on focus mode so this will certainly affect user experience and make search results to be displayed even before search string is completed

Just remember so many failed, previously overhyped Google products: Sidewiki, Knol, Video, Orkut, Wave, Buzz etc..


Val.
 
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This liveblogging article shows how the conference went through.

Live Blog: Google Search Event (Instant Search)

This is an interesting approach by Google, but I am skeptic that it will provide the desired results, because once you unleash this technology to worldwide audience, you will have every imaginable type of feedback and bad publicity. Most of them will again come from privacy related people, concerned with how Google determines what the user is "thinking" while searching.

My opinion is that the reaction will be mostly negative because it will harm the long-tail traffic, as the users are engaged even before completing their search query. Searchers are always on focus mode so this will certainly affect user experience and make search results to be displayed even before search string is completed

Just remember so many failed, previously overhyped Google products: Sidewiki, Knol, Video, Orkut, Wave, Buzz etc..


Val.

I believe Google could be a footnote in 10 years if they're not careful. For the most part (at least for me) Google's search often does not return relevant results.
 
Just remember so many failed, previously overhyped Google products: Sidewiki, Knol, Video, Orkut, Wave, Buzz etc..


Val.

Since I use Chrome (don't hate...I'm not in the Chrome cult), I rarely go to google.com to do my searches. So, to answer scagnt83, I'm not sure when it came out. I just found out about it today.

It may fail. I can't stand wave or buzz - certainly not google's best moments. And the others (Sidewiki, Knol, Video, Orkut) are also failed products, as you said.

I will say, though, that I like using Google Instant...
 
I believe that currently it only works if you are logged into your Google account.

So, since they know who you are, are you being tracked and cataloged? (Just as you are on this site. Val can find out every thread you read, when you logged on or off, etc.)
 
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I believe that currently it only works if you are logged into your Google account.

Al is correct ( I know, I know....words of treason)....


I did a search using Chrome and it worked, then used IE's InPrivate browsing and it didn't work.
 
Great observation. I signed in and started typing prost (for prostate cancer) and it finishes with "prostitutes in your area." Man...this thing is dead on.
 
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