Web Search–Inktomi
Inktomi Introduces New Web Search Features
New features of greatest interest to the searcher from the Web Search 9 release include:
1) Inktomi Claims they Are Refreshing Their Complete Database Every 10-14 Days
3) Smarter Summaries
“Document summaries returned in search results are culled from algorithmic and editorial sources and selected based on user context and intent. Users receive abstracts that are more useful in understanding search results than simple computer-generated page summaries.”
3) Improved Relevance
This can only be determined after we have time to try out these new features.
What Else is New
A) PDF and other Microsoft Office Formats Accessible (.doc, .ppt, .xls)
B) Claiming Database Size is Over 3 Billions Pages
B) Inktomi Now Provides Single Database to its Partners. Previously, many chunks of the database were available. However, because different partners offer different features and tweak the relevancy algorithm you will still see different result sets.
C) A Primary Focus of Inktomi Going Forward Will Be Developing Tools To Better Understand User Intent. As an info pro knows this is a major challenge and why “traditional” reference interview skills are still crucial.
Where Can I Check Out These New Features?
As most of you know Inktomi doesn’t offer its own interface but sells search services to many sites including MSN Search and Hotbot. The new features and content will roll out over the next few weeks.
See Also: Inktomi Press Release
See Also: Learn More About Inktomi, It’s Partners, History, and More via Search Engine Showdown

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 20th, 2002 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.