Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

Who needs the standard obsessively glowing Michael TechCrunch Arrington Web 2.0 startup co-hype machine! NOT Jimmy Wales. After all, Wales underscores Wikia Search “is not being built for him.”

It is indeed ironic to read Arrington decry of the alpha launch:”Jimmy Wales hype machine promised a human powered search engine that could take on Google”:

The search results are poor and thin, as would be expected if not for the huge expectations that have been set.

Really? Wales disclaims the alpha launch quality of the search results, front and center:

Wikia is working to develop and popularize a freely licensed (open source) search engine. What you see here is our first alpha release. We are aware that the quality of the search results is low..

Wales also goes on to solicit humans for help with his “project to build a human-powered search engine”:

Right now, the most important thing you can do is help with the “miniarticles” that appear at the top of popular search terms.

Arrington nevertheless dismisses Wikia Search’s request for participation:

Beyond the poor search results, there is really no “human” element to the engine at all.

Eventually, users will be able to edit and improve results for searches they are interested in. But currently, all users can do is add keywords to their profile that they might someday be interested in, and/or contribute to a “mini-article” that appears at the top of search results for queries.

BUT, how is functionality enabling individuals to contribute content NOT a human element?

Wikia Search’s solicitation for mini-article contributions is similar to Arrington’s TechCrunch 40 partner Jason Calacanis’ Mahalo, self-branded a “human-powered search engine.” Mahalao has benefitted from Arrington hype from the get go, along with search startup contender Powerset–supposedly launched at TechCrunch 40 four months ago, although still not open for searching. The latest non-existent search startup to get the Arrington hype stamp of approval: Rich Skrenta’s puported “Blekko.”

(SEE: Mahalo: Will Calacanis Win the Billion Dollar Startup Lottery in 2008? and Rich Skrenta: Blekko ‘Absurd’ Search Startup Disses King Google)

Powerset on its supposed TechCrunch launch:

We realize that most companies wait to launch until they have a completely usable beta version. Because Powerset is a natural language search engine, the earlier we have input from the best natural language processing units on the planet – the brains of humans – the quicker our search engine will improve.

Mahalo is also a work in human progress. A search at Mahalo for “reverse engineering” yields a page of search engine results, courtsey of Mahalo’s arch enemy Google! Plus the disclaimer: “We haven’t written a result page for ‘reverse engineering’ yet,” but be sure to request one. Better yet, Calacanis’ Mahalao solicits “Be the first to recomend a link form ‘reverse engineering’.

Arrington is nevertheless firm, about Jimmy Wales :

Wikia search would be a disappointment even without the massive hype we’ve had to endure. And taking that hype into account, this product is an inexcusable waste of time.

Such an accusation could be levied against many of the massively hyped Web 2.0 “cool apps” paraded by TechCrunch daily and “endured” by all. After all, Tim Web 2.0 O’Reilly believes TechCrunch faves to be “completely unimportant”:

TechCrunch is the #1 site on the Techmeme leaderboard, yet most of what it covers will be forgotten not merely in years but in months, and have proven to be completely unimportant: the froth of me-too company creation around ideas and trends that as yet are quite immature and poorly understood. (Michael Arrington himself told me that most of the companies he’s covered since starting Techcrunch “have just faded away”.)

(SEE: Web 2.0 Startups: Will Geek Chumby ‘Fade Away’ in 2008? and Digg: TechCrunch Bails on Arrington Web 2.0 Fave and  Edgeio Web 2.0 Bomb: Michael TechCrunch Arrington Cheers $5 million Startup Loss)

Google’s Matt Cutts giddily jumps on the blogosphere’s who needs Wikia Search bandwagon, cunningly goading the SEO community–which bows to King Google–to tear the Wales initiative apart.

Cutts ought to look within, though. For starters, he can read my primer on how Google Search is on the endangered species list: Google Knol: The End of Google.com, NOT Wikipedia 

PLUS, Cutts can learn about how Google is behind the image search times by reading my exclusive scoop: EverNote Beats Google: AIR Search Inside Images, NOW!

ALSO, Cutts may want to know Why Google Worship is a BAD Call in 2008, despite Jeff Jarvis’ Google religion.

MORE: Is SEO the New Internet Porn? Lessons From Ning and Google and Reach Local Advertising? How Google Squeezes SEMs and AdWords Buyers

PLUS: Data Portability ‘Magic’? Australian Faraday Media Pushes Web Agenda in U.S.

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Powerset is a BIG fan of Amazon: BUT, does Powerset have a love hate relationship with Google?

After all, while the “semi-stealth startup” based on the technologies of others hopes to be better than Google, it also wants to be bought out by Google! Whichever comes first, then?

Way back on January 1, when the Powerset “trio of Internet entreprenuers” publicly declared their intent to “out-Google Google,” thanks to licensed ”breakthrough” technology and outsourced infrastructure, I countered: Serious competition necessitates not only “breakthrough” concepts, but serious, proprietary, in-house assets.

The Powerset goal is to “deliver better answers than any other search engine, including Google.” To achieve that, it is relying on proprietary engineering and technology resources, those of others that is: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (PARC) and Amazon, Inc. notably.

Powerset could not exist or function without both its “licensing agreement, patent licenses and long-term colaboration agreement” with PARC and its contractual arrangement with Amazon’s Elastic Cloud Compute services.

Powerset on why it relies on Amazon Web Services to power its attack on Google:

In the past, the upfront capital required to build out a datacenter big enough to scour the entire Web and serve queries for millions of users was a significant barrier to seriously competing with companies like Google.

YES! That is what gives Google a competitive advantage, as I underscored yesterday in asserting that IT DOES MATTER, contrary to Nick Carr’s pronouncements. SEE: What Commodity IT? Google Buys Strategic Engineering, Wal-Mart Too

IT matters to Google, to the tune of billions of dollars in ongoing investments:

From the beginning, Google’s developers recognized that providing the fastest, most accurate results required a new kind of server setup. Whereas most search engines ran off a handful of large servers tha often slowed under peak loads, Google employed linked PCs to quickly find each query’s answer. The inovation paid off in faster response times, greater scalability and lower costs. It’s an idea that others have since copied, while Google has continued to refine its back-end technology to make it even more efficient.

Powerset may admire Google’s data center build out, but it can’t afford to compete head on from such an infrastructure angle.

Nevertheless, while the Web world impatiently waits for Powerset to actually launch, Powerset itself may be patiently waiting for a Google buyout, as I reported last month following Powerset’s TecCrunch40 “launch.” SEE: Powerset Reveals Strategy: Sell Out to Google by 2009

ALSO: Radio Ads Stall: Google Pins Offline Advertising Hopes On TV and Facebook, the Web’s State Fair vs. LinkedIn, the Chamber of Commerce and AdWords is Safe! Facebook Flyers NO Google Killer

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

And the TechCrunch40 fallout begins! Powerset was the first one out of the (old startup) TechCrunch demo gate and it is REALLY letting it all out!

While the debut of TechCrunch40 was all about the theoretical possibility of knocking king Google of of its search throne, live bloging Duncan Riley didn’t even address the search elephant in the room! Perhaps he sought to be demeure as “expert” panelist Marissa Mayer is the Google search queen.

TechCrunch40 head Jason Mahalao Calacanis to the who needs Google rescue, of course, inquiring of Marissa about “people switching away from Google.” GNOMEDEX, anyone?

Mayer and her merry Googlers are undoubedtly NOT shaking in their search boots, however, following the Powerset demo. SEE: TechCrunch40 Debuts with Search: Google Beware?

Mayer seemed most intent on digging for competitive data points for use in Google’s almighty Universal Search.

What is Powereset really interested in? NOT what Business Week headlines: “Powerset: Move Over, Google”

NO, Mark Johnson, Powerset Product Manageer is making the blog rounds to shout out loud and clear:

If we sell to a top 5 engine by 2009, I’d say that we’re doing prety well.

Hey Mark, shoot for the engine stars: Number one is within your Palace grasp, go for it! Just tell Marissa what you are worth, after all Powerset has the power!

ARE THE TECHCRUNCH40 REALLY THE NEXT BIG THINGS? FOR A REALITY CHECK SEE: Web 3.0: Madison Avenue Money Trumps TechCrunch40 Cool Apps

PLUS: Ning Hardcore Porn Platform: What is Andreessen Doing Wrong?

ALSO: Yahoo Buys Zimbra: Beats Google for Web Office Leadership and Zoho at Risk as Yahoo Zimbra Attacks Google Apps

AND: FB Fund: Facebook VCs Divide and Conquer F8 Application Developers

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Will Powerset be the next Google? It already is employing a very Googley strategy by simultaneously embracing hype, secrecy and launch by “elite” invitation only aka Gmail.

SO WHAT? The Powerset target audience is Silicon Valley techies AND they are dutifully affirming that YES indeed Powerset is set to “revolutionize search,” when/if it launches.

Powerset supposedly came out of stealth mode. How? With a Powerset PR cum product pitch at its San Francisco office yesterday, apparently for a handful of bloggers.

Steve Newcomb, Powerset founder & COO, pushes all the right Web 2.0 buttons:

Imagine a mashup between Facebook, Digg and Google Apps, but you get to participate in the building of the products that sit on top of our platform. You log into a social network, like you would Facebook, and you get certified to be a Powerlabber. Once certified you can join different interest groups, such as travel, and participate in idea and mashup competitions. QA is embedded and its all bloggable.

Facebook? As in the “open” F8 platform? Newcomb:

Instead of being stealth mode, we are being more open than any other company has been in the launch process.

GREAT! I eagerly visited Powerset to take Newcomb up on his “open” launch process evangelism. At Powerset I was encouraged on:

Want to try Powerset before the official release? Sign up for Powerlabs below and you’s get a sneak peek at our technology.

Enter your Email. Sign me up!

Simple as that! NOT QUITE. The “natural language” search engine is using language not so naturally to lure email address submissions with promises of direct Powerset access.

I provided my email address as asked and awaited a view of the Powerset promised land of search.

But alas, Powerset “thanked” me for my interest with a resounding thanks, but no thanks AND attempted to lure me into another you are almost there bait and switch routine:

We are limiting our initial invite list. Just give us a few more details about yourself so that you’ll be among the first to see what we’ve been brewing.

RIGHT! Still no precious Powerset “invite,” BUT a solicitation for name, company, profession, blog, friends’ emails, market resesearch question…

What DOES the Powerlabber “certification” entail?

Of note, while Powerset.com requests and processes individuals’ personal information there is no Privacy Policy available. Not a very auspicious beginning for a service that claims to be able to “replace the core of the search engine.”

Moreover, Powerset doesn’ even offer the ability to search at its own corporate Website, “natural language” or otherwise. Perhaps because when Powerset DID offer search at the Powerset blog it was not good, especially from a “natural language” perspective.

I put the Powerset internal search function to the test earlier in the year, when Powerset first publicly declared its intent to take over the search world. The Powerset blog was, presumably, powered by Powerset’s “search engine that breaks the confines of keyword search.”

As presented at the time, Powerset’s blog search function was similar in look and feel to the Google.com keyword search box experience (see screenshot at left). I entered the word “news” and was returned “search results” as shown below.

The unchecked boxes on the SERP labeled “Match case” and “Regex search” did not seem “natural and intuitive” for consumers searching; No explanation was offered.

The lack of “news” results was also surprising as a “consumer” searcher might expect a company blog to include company “news.” Inconsistent nomenclature was used in the presentation of a lack of “news” results within the blog; The heading “Entries matching ‘news’” was followed by “No pages were found containing ‘news’.

Powerset now may hope a wisdom of the search crowd will surface via its Powerlabs developer scheme, but the supposed “crowd” it wants wisdom from will undoubedtly be but a hand picked, meticuously groomed microcosm of the “geek” community that is already well represented within Powerset.

A true “natural language” search effort ought to reflect how average people use language, naturally.

Newcomb revels at his blog in the Powerset hype-secrecy combo he is exploiting to fuel “revolutionary” search passion:

I decided that I wanted to be the first to post a screen shot of Powerlabs (it’s a pretty cool screenshot and in my opinion a much sexier screenshot than the search screen shot)…Over the coming weeks, we’ll release more details, but in true Powerset style that’s all you get for now.

Hint: Powerlabbers are getting this blog entry 1 hour before I post it (that will be the norm from now on, so sign up if you want the inside scoop) I figured since there is such competition to be the first, I would actually give the Powerlabbers a shot at beating me to it. Each time I will announce who was the actuall first person to post the screenshot. Note: the first screenshot poster contests was won by Jessica Mah and she wins the right to have my voice on her answering machine.

Hint: We may not be launching Powerlabs officially until September, but we will be selecting a small group of people early to give it a test drive.

The official Powerset blog acknowledges its “tease” campaign:

As a teaser for Powerlabs, we’ve decided to release a “Query of the Week.” Each week, we’ll release a screenshot of Powerset search results that demonstrate aspects of our Natural Language technology. When Powerlabs is fully launched, you’ll get to play with our search engine yourself, so be sure to sign up today.

In lieu of current access to Powerset or Powerlabs, the company is offering a “nifty video” to “tell you what Powerlabs is all about,” now playing at YouTube.

Geeks apparently want something more substanial from Powerset, now:

not a useful video! what do I care what is cool inside your company or not? tell me a little bit aobut the product,

“Beat” is a vague term. Beat in what sense? Accuracy of search results? Speed and performance? Scalability? Natural language capabilities?,

WE want a Demo,

That video just left more curious about it… Do you think that Powerset can beat google? I would like to see an enterprise that could do that. The probem is that Microsoft already have the desktop business. It seems that now, google want to do the same with internet, we have just to see that almost every new magnific internet startup is bougth by google….

Watch out Google? Powerset WILL meet Google, one way or another!

ALSO: How Facebook IS the Next Google

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN