Market Segments Essay

Three good ways to define market segments: (1) Who the customers are; (2) Where they are; (3) How they behave. How does each of these definitions apply to you? Name three market segments of which you could belong. Why? What products or services are you being targeted for? Some of the best ways to define a market segment are: Identifiable: The process should identify one or more relatively homogeneous groups of prospective buyers with regard to their wants and needs and/or their likely responses to differences in the elements of the marketing mix—the 4 Ps (product, price, promotion, and place). (Mullins, 2010) Accessible: The segmentation criteria should measure or describe the segments clearly enough so that members can be readily identified and accessed, in order for the marketer to know whether a given prospective customer is or is not in the tar- get market and in order to reach the prospective customer with advertising or other marketing communication messages. (Mullins, 2010) Sizeable: the segmentation process should determine the size and market potential of each segment for use in prioritizing which segments to pursue. (Mullins, 2010) A part of analyzing market segments is to understand who and where are the customers and why do they differ. Market segments should be formed in that way that difference between buyers within each segment is as small as possible. Segmentation helps marketers’ distinguish one customer group from another within a given market which is geographic area, demographic characteristics, social class, and stage in family life cycle, personality, self-image or benefits. Since every buyer has their own individual needs, preferences, resources etc, it may become a challenge if marketers are looking to cater every customer’s needs. Since I am an athlete, I can be targeted for running shoes of a particular style that provides me with the support and stability that I need when I run. Based on my needs, I am most segmented to be a prospective buyer that is moved by price and promotion, making sure I am getting the best deal for the product that I am interested in. In the end, the product that provides the best bundle of benefits—given the customer’s particular needs— is most likely to  be purchased (Mullins, 2010). Reference Mullins, J. W., Walker, Jr., O. C., & Boyd, H. W. (2010). Marketing management: A strategic decision making approach (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

James Thom’s “The Perfect Picture” Essay

In James Thom’s extraordinary piece â€Å"The Perfect Picture† he writes about situations he was in at a one point of his life. He explains an experience he was in as a young police reporter and driving to a seen, where the grandfather back over this granddaughter. When he drives up he sees all the media and the police gather around the grandfather. The grandfather couldn’t even grasp the concept of what happened yet, before news reporters and photographers are invading his property, life and time with his family to grieve over his granddaughter. When Thom sees the opportunity to snap the photo of the grandfather cradling the little girl, wrapped in a sheet, lying cold and lifeless in his arms. Thom has such a huge decision to make, and only a mere moment to decide on what he will do. Thom thinks about his career, for a brief second, and he almost pushes the shutter, the button that has the power to keep time standing still, for now and forever. He has the power to expose the emotions and lives of people, including this family, that have to re-live these experiences for the rest of their life. He can see the joy on the faces of his executives, and the awards that would be engraved with his name. If pictures are worth a thousand words, then his â€Å"perfect picture† will be worth a million! Thom finally decides there is still no way to justify this intrusion of private family affairs. He shows courage in his decision and great confidence in his ability as a reporter. James Thom is making the right decision in not taking the opportunity to snap the perfect photograph. In today’s society the media takes advantage of the common people, and profits from the world’s misfortunes. In the era this story is taking place, the media is no different. The media believes they have the right to intrude into people’s lives, take what they want, and assume no responsibility and reap no consequences for their actions. Newspapers, TV stations, and so forth, call this their right to free speech. Watching a reporter taking pictures, pushing shoving and crowding around the scene, is like watching a group of wild hyenas fighting each other for one piece of dead carcass. On one side, there would be those that believe pictures, events, and the news, regardless of the subject matter are public property as long as it’s done in the name of media material. Reporters, journalist and photographers all fall into the same category. They are there to find the story, and if there is not a story present. They construct one to create intrigue for their customers. Most of the media is ruthless, cold and with hearts of stone. These beasts stop at nothing to get what they need to fulfill the greed in their soul.

A Beautiful Mind a film by Ron Howard (2001) Essay

A Beautiful Mind a film by Ron Howard (2001) - Essay Example He soon outgrows the enthusiasm for his MIT position and accepts a more challenging role by Parcher William, on behalf of the US. D.o.D. HIS attempts to discover patterns hidden by the Soviet make him rather obsessive. Nash marriage to Alicia is rocked with problems since Nash experiences bouts of hallucination that make it hard for him to separate reality. For instance, he realizes that three characters, Marcee, Charles, and Parcher are only his imaginations figment. After treatment, Nash is able to deal more effectively with his hallucination, and is eventually offered a teaching position by his former rival Hansen, now heading the mathematics department at Hansen. Nash goes on to win a Nobel Prize in the field of economics. In terms of happiness, I would rather be a happy average person than an unhappy genius. Being a genius is meant to be a way by which to achieve a more fulfilling life. If it does not fulfill this fundamental requirement, then leading an average life proves more fulfilling than having accolades that bring no joy. The human nature is such that his well-being is tied to their happiness. A happy individual, average or not, is definitely leading a better life, the life I

Software project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Software project management - Assignment Example you that the productivity of game developers varies widely, from 5-25 lines of code (LOC) of per day (fully tested), and this is the same productivity range achieved for the other game. a. Provide an estimated range in LOC (e.g.,  x - y LOC)  for the software size of the game to be developed. Show your work. To help you calculate the available capacity of a programmer in a calendar year, the Human Resources Department has told you to assume 52 weeks x 5 working days per week, minus the following unavailable days based on the yearly history for the average programmer in the company: 3. The following table is a very rough plan consisting of a list of activities, immediate predecessors, duration estimates, and resources required (one network engineer (NE) or one user interface architect (UI)) for a project to develop a network administration dashboard. There is only one network engineer and only one user interface architect available for the duration of the project. 5. say in chapter 14 about "the 10 percent solution to project estimates", "life-cycle costing", and "logistics support" (what we have called MOOS-Maintenance and Ongoing Operations Support).  In your own words, how would the ideas from Kerzner: In the aspect of the logistic support and life cycle costing, the projects estimates should taken properly to eliminate any sort of deficit be it on the short term as well as long term project phase

Museums and Utopian thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museums and Utopian thought - Essay Example When considering art objects it’s clear that they have a distinct source of power over people. Kirshenblatt-Gimblet (2000) articulates a notion of art objects as taking on powerful symbolic elements when viewed as message of representatives of social relations among people. In terms of art objects, one of the primary power sources is clearly the nature of their inclusion within the museum. The inclusion of the art into the museum or gallery format imbues the object with an institutional or social sense of recognition. Notably, Kirshenblatt-Gimblet (2000, p. 7) states, â€Å"the museum tends to be conserving and conservative institution, subject to the catalyzing effects of avant- garde artists that engage and attempt to destabilize its very premises on the premises†¦to appeal to a wider public.† This is a contrasting understanding of the meaning or ‘power’ of the art object, as gaining its significance from its resistance of cooptation of the museum or gallery, with the museum acting as a catalyst to this resistance. Still, it is ultimately the institution of the museum that motivates or ‘catalyzes’ this meaning, ultimately giving the object its power. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (2004) proposes a vision of the museum as a history of utopian thought. In many regards, it’s clear that the museum does act as a sort exemplification of utopian ideals. This notion follows two modes of thought, as both the structural nature of the museum itself is recognized as encouraging this utopian identification, as well as the idealistic intentions of the artwork within the museum. In terms of physical elements of the museum consider Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (2004, p. 1) who states, The museum is at once an architectural form, a concrete environment for reflection, a reservoir of tangibilities, a school for the senses, a space of

The Role of User Interface Design in Product Accessibility Research Paper

The Role of User Interface Design in Product Accessibility - Research Paper Example As product engineers pays attention to the technology, usability specialists pay attention to the user interface. Thus, in order to get maximum efficiency, cost efficiency and success, this working association should be upheld from the beginning of a project to its completion. However, in the scenario of computer software, user interface design is as well recognized as HCI (Human-Computer Interaction). As people frequently think of interface design in a scenario of computers, it as well guides to a lot of products where the user interacts with displays or controls (Usernomics, 2011; Ambler, 2010; Smith & Mosier, 1986). This paper will discuss some of the important aspects of the user interface design. This paper basically attempts to assess and analyze some of the critical aspects of interface design to ensure a product is suitable for its intended users. In this scenario, this paper will discuss user interfaces design aspects like navigation, usability, accessibility, and consistenc y. Part 1 Navigation A more effective set of graphic navigation and interactive communication links inside web-pages will be useful in catching the attention of users towards the web pages, weaning them from the wide-ranging purpose web browser communication links and drawing them more into our viewpoint. In addition, by providing them with our own steady and expected set of navigation buttons we as well offer the user a good judgment of our website's structure as well as formulate the logic and organization of our website visually precise (Lynch & Horton, 2004). In more simple words, website navigation is an implementation or document of a table of contents. Thus, it allows the users to think where they are at, where they have been, as well as where they are moving. Alternatively, the overall navigation aspects should respond to the query: Where they are? In addition, navigation should as well include the classification we have intended for our system consequently we are able to re cognize the content of our system (Poteet, 2007). In addition, for an attractive system navigation design, it is important to recognize the interface also. In fact, system interface works as an intermediary among content and users, an interpreter and guide to the difficulties of a system. In the graphical state of the web, interface design has to work with assembled visual meaning (Fleming, 1998). Moreover, straightforward and understandable system navigation is important  for the success of any system or application. In fact, the system should allow its users to move from page to page with connecting links, menu items or buttons. More significantly,  navigation has to as well address the weak balance among real-life user objectives and business aims of the application. However, when business needs terms filters into system navigation, there is some kind of risk that the common user can misinterpret the language employed in the navigation. Thus, these misunderstandings create th e risk to user’s capacity to complete the job and are able to dominate the reimbursement the technology objectives to offer. In this scenario, the term ‘transfer of eligible internal account fund’ is used to send funds from a user’s account to a mortgage, through the web.

Mind and Consciousness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mind and Consciousness - Essay Example Syntactic knowledge is, to much an extent, dependent upon the system. The same action may have various commands with the change of the machine. â€Å"Also conventions can be a source of difficulties, for example using â€Å"S† for saving or for sending a file can produce confusing experiences† (Dursteler, 2011). Semantic knowledge, on the other hand, points towards the understanding of meanings that are not linked with particular experiences. It is the conscious recollection of knowledge about our surroundings and the whole world in the broader context irrespective of the context. For example, it is because of my semantic knowledge that I am able to differentiate between the meanings of individual words in language. The form and content of knowledge are two entirely different areas. Forms of knowledge can be classified into three types, namely the intellectual knowledge, knowledge of stats, and the knowledge of reality. Intellectual knowledge is an assemblage of facts which can be used to derive intellectual conclusions. Knowledge of states is basically emotionalism, in which an individual is occupied by extreme thoughts. The knowledge of reality enables a man to identify the ultimate truth. This form of knowledge is commonly retained by Sufis and spiritual people. The content of knowledge, on the other hand, is all that shapes an individual’s vision and opinion. The form of knowledge is more concerned with the state of mind whereas the content of knowledge is what is displayed in the form of knowledge. Machines have limited knowledge. When assessing machine intelligence, it must be ensured that the form of knowledge is consistent with the content of knowledge stored in it. Human brain and computer are so different structurally that they are almost incomparable (Scaruffi, 2001). The fundamental difference between thinking power, consciousness and knowledge of human intelligence and machine intelligence is the fact that the former is

Cross cuiltur managment (Expatriation and Culture Shock in China ) Essay

Cross cuiltur managment (Expatriation and Culture Shock in China ) - Essay Example Cardozo (2007) believes that these opportunities are being sought and preferred because of the excitement of foreign travel and the challenges presented by the new posts. It would appear, however, based on studies and recent developments on expatriation, that the figure is not altogether rosy for the expatriates. One of the undesirable effects of expatriation is culture shock, a condition defined as â€Å"coming to understand and adapt to differences in culture† by Kwintessential Ltd., a company engaged in cross cultural services. It is the objective of this paper to take an in-depth look at expatriation and culture shock in China, how expatriation leads to culture shock and how this condition is experienced by the expatriates. The choice of China is made for the simple reason that China is an interesting case for cultural study especially in its present role as the bearer of a new economic order, and for many expatriate managers, is a stimulating environment in which to live and work (Kaye and Taylor, 1997). The paper further aims to examine the causes of this undesirable state using research data gathered from secondary sources. It is hoped that the examination will add more insights into this problem and possibly contribute to a deeper understanding and resolution of the same. Extent of Failure of Expatriation According to Harzing (1995), almost every publication on the topic of expatriation defines and evaluates expatriate failure as the â€Å"percentage of expatriates returning home before their assignment contract expires.† Harzing (1995) cites Buckley and Brooke who claimed that expatriate failure would be in the range of 70 per cent for developing countries and 25-40% in developing countries. Rosalie Tung in Shilling (1993) puts a second to this claim by citing survey results among US, European and Japanese multinational corporations indicating a high percentage of failures in overseas assignments. In another report by Sharon Lobel, failed assignments were reported to have occurred in as often as 70% of the time in many developed countries (Shilling, 1993). Addler and Ghadar in Harzing (1995) attribute a range of 25-40% for failed American expatriates while Tung’s estimate of the failure rate among expatriates in Europe is 10%. It is easy to see from these percentages that the returning expatriates, known as repatriates, represent a substantial sum of money lost on their failure to adapt to the country of assignment. If the losses are substantial from the returning assignees, what is more disturbing is the finding in recent studies that showed the decreasing number of candidates now refusing foreign assignments (Rao, 2010) Other studies have shown, according to Kaye and Taylor (1997), that 16-40% of expatriates terminate their foreign assignments early because of their poor performance on the job or their inability to adjust to their new environment. Not only that, the same studies show that as many as 50% of those who stay would be functioning at low levels of effectiveness (Kaye and Taylor, 1997). It is estimated that the average cost to the parent company of a failed assignment would be in the range of $65,000 to $300,000 per failure (Mendenhall and Oddou in Kaye and Taylor, 1997). Culture Shock: A Major Cause of Failure The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology refers to culture shock as â€Å"

Native American Religious Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Native American Religious Studies - Essay Example His studies on this group of people covered the language of Western Apaches, patterns of silence in social interaction, witchcraft beliefs, and ceremonial symbolism, and others. The idea for Wisdom Sits in Places originated from a conducted study of Apache places; how the Apache refer to their land, the place-names; the stories behind the names of each place, and how these place-names are being used in everyday conversations by Apache men and women. The publication is a stunning informative study of the use of landscape and language in the social life of the Western Apaches. And one would find it wonderful how language influence and shape the way a person thinks, and how wisdom can sit in places, and that a race’s language is intimately linked to the land where they sprang. The book is divided into four sections: Quoting the Ancestors, Stalking with Stories, Speaking with Names, and Wisdom Sits in Places. Each chapter revolves around the design that landscape and language serve distinct purpose in the life of Western Apaches. Chapter 4 is a look on the path of wisdom in the Western Apache society. In this, Basso, with the guidance of an Apache friend named Dudley Patterson, explained that there are two conditions of the mind: "steadiness of mind" (bIni gonldzil), and "resilience of mind" (bIni gontliz). These two conditions will in turn lead the person to another mental condition: which he called â€Å"smoothness of mind† (bIni godilkooh), considered being a more desirable mental condition. These three conditions, according to his study, are not inborn; therefore, an individual needs to work on his mind in order to gain wisdom. Working on one’s mind could be through being observant on different places, learn their place-names, and then reflect on traditional narratives that give emphasis on the importance and intrinsic worth of wisdom. The idea of

Bureaucratic Management Essay Example for Free

Bureaucratic Management Essay An organisation can be best describes as a unit which consists of individuals who, in order to achieve certain objectives, influence other people. They may be trying to achieve wealth or well being through differing processes, technologies, structures and cultures. In order to run an organisation well management is needed. Management then is the planning, organising, leading and controlling of human resources, s well as other resources, in order to achieve effective goals. Rosemary Stewart describes a manager as; Someone who gets things done with the aid of people (Boddy P11) Bureaucratic Management An important aim for most businesses today is to increase productivity and efficiency. In order to do so, many businesses adopt theoretical approached to management. The theory of bureaucracy is one in which is the underlying theme of control in many organisations of today. Bureaucratic management is described as a formal system of organisation in order to maintain efficiency and effectiveness. (Contemporary Management P48) Max Weber developed the theory of bureaucratic management and derived five main principles which should be adopted when using bureaucratic management. Although his theories were very sound, perhaps the most influential principles of management in organisations are that of Henri Fayol. He devised 14 theories of management however some of these theories are similar to that of Max Weber. Like Weber, Fayol believed in division of labour where workers would be given more job duties and responsibilities. He also believed in authority and responsibility similar to Webers theory, where authority should come from personal expertise, technical knowledge moral worth and the ability to lead to generate commitment from subordinates (Contemporary Management P50) Weber believed in dual command, similar to this, Fayol believed unity of command. This principle involves an employee reporting to and only receiving orders from one supervisor. Next he devised that there should be a line of authority which can be described as the line of command starting at the bottom of the organisation and following up to the very top of the organisation. In bureaucratic management it is important to control the number of levels in the hierarchy because the more managers there are the longer it takes to plan and organise activities. Similarly he believed that an effective bureaucratic work place should have a form of centralisation. Fayol believed that authority should not be centralised at the top of the chain of command. As a result of centralisation of authority, it would mean managers at the top of the hierarchy are able to make more decisions and therefore the people lower down the line of authority would simply follow their direction. In a bureaucratic organisation there is a need for unity of direction which Fayol picked up on. He believed that effective bureaucratic organisations which devised a plan of direction would eradicate ineffectiveness and unfocused activities. On the other hand, bureaucratic organisations should treat employees with equity and fairness as well as sustain order. Fayol described order as the methodical arrangement of positions to provide the organisation with the greatest benefit. (Contemporary Management P50). Linked to this he believed in the discipline within the organisation whereby employees could focus on obedience, energy and respect for authorititive figures. On the other hand, bureaucratic management according to Fayol should encourage employees to use initiative as well as a system whereby employees are rewarded in order to increase productivity and increase enjoyment for the employees. Included in these reward systems were profit sharing plans and bonuses. He recognised the need for long-term employment because through time people develop their skills. Similarly he believed that some form of agreement should be made by the organisation and its employees in order to maintain that employees are treated fairly and overall be rewarded for their performance. Espirit De Crops is an important part in the success of a bureaucratic organisation because it refers to a shared feeling of motivation and commitment to a specific cause. When managers are able to encourage personal and verbal relations between both managers and workers espirit de corps can be developed. Furthermore, this can be linked to Human Relations management. Human Relations Management Human relations management is the belief that a concern for human factors such as job specialisation in order to improve productivity. It was based on the belief that people have a social dimension and have important links not just to the workplace, but out with the organisation itself. Human relations was a move from a rational economic view of man, where a employee will increase productivity with economic benefits such as wage rises and bonuses; to a social view of man, where productivity will increase with an increase in employee relation ships and in general better social conditions. Mary Parker Follet believed in the creativity of group processes. On the other hand she did not believe that division of labour was the right way to achieve optimised productivity unlike Fayols bureaucratic theories. Again, in comparison to strict lines of authority in bureaucratic management she believed that managers in an affective human relations organisation should not manipulate their subordinates. Instead, they should be trained to use their powers responsibility. She also argued against Fayols belief that there should be a clear hierarchy of authority by advising that it would be effective if leadership moves from person to person depending on the individual situation or who is best suited to the job. Unlike the principle of unity of command, Human relations theory allowed employees to work together and interact with managers giving their opinions and beliefs in order to optimise productivity. It also gives employees the satisfaction of knowing their opinions are valued. Elton Mayo elaborated on human relations management theory when he undertook the Hawthorne studies. He examined the social and psychological factors which affected performance. His studies concluded that physical conditions had a small impact on output and that it was social changes which impact productivity. These changed occurred because the teams were paid more attention to and their opinions mattered to managers. On the other hand, it concluded that financial initiatives helped increase productivity (similar to bureaucratic practises). The study later found that people performed less effectively because they began to practice specific social norms. In bureaucratic management employees have to behave in strict ways whereas human relations management theories found differing social behaviour. During the Hawthorne studies employees devised that they should behave in specific way and therefore those who did not abide by these social norms were classified as rate busters; who were people who tried to more in order to gain more, chisellers; employees who underperformer and squealers; who told tales to managers. Relevance Today Bureaucratic management has been proven to be very successful today. The Hilton hotel group are a relevant example because they have many outlets through-out the world. They must set out global standards and procedures in order for managers to run them it effectively. Included in these procedures is how staff is recruited and trained. Similarly rules and regulations set out in manual should be followed precisely, whether its how to treat their customers or how to run their accounts. On the other hand, bureaucratic management is not suitable for organisations which are prone to change. On the other hand, management control in bureaucratic management is very high because authority is clearly marked out, with managers being the imperative and employees must follow their orders. Human Relations Management is successful in some organisation today. Organisations that tend to benefit from Human Relations Management are call centres because employees tend to work in teams and have a closer interaction with their managers. However the influence on performance that Mayo discussed is much more complicated than assumed because by providing good supervision and adequate working conditions can increase satisfaction within the organisation but does not always mean it will increase productivity. Management control in an organisation which is adopts Human Relations management does have management control however it is less centralised. Employees are able to put across ideas and perspectives. Similarly, in some organisations the role of management can be shifted depending on who is best suited to the job. Overall, adopting theories of management in an organisation is very important because it can shape the way you run your business, but more importantly it can increase productivity and effectiveness by all who are involved in the organisation. Bureaucratic management is a system of management which is widely used today and more classical compare to human relations management. It is clear to see that there are differences between bureaucratic management and human relations management, the most obvious being that human relations management takes into consideration the social behaviours of employees whereas bureaucratic management concentrates more on hierarchy and strict division of labour.

How Do Web Search Engines Work Information Technology Essay

How Do Web Search Engines Work Information Technology Essay Introduction A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found. Although search engine is really a general class of programs, the term is often used to specifically describe systems like Google,   Alta Vista and Excite that enable users to search for documents on the World Wide Web and USENET newsgroups. Typically, a search engine works by sending out a spider to fetch as many documents as possible. Another program, called an indexer, then reads these documents and creates an index based on the words contained in each document. Each search engine uses a proprietary algorithm to create its indices such that, ideally, only meaningful results are returned for each query. How Do Web Search Engines Work? Search engines are the key to finding specific information on the vast expanse of the World Wide Web. Without sophisticated search engines, it would be virtually impossible to locate anything on the Web without knowing a specific URL. But do you know how search engines work? And do you know what makes some search engines more effective than others? When people use the term search engine in relation to the Web, they are usually referring to the actual search forms that searches through databases of HTML documents, initially gathered by a robot. There are basically three types of search engines: Those that are powered by robots (called crawlers; ants or spiders) and those that are powered by human submissions; and those that are a hybrid of the two. Crawler-based search engines are those that use automated software agents (called crawlers) that visit a Web site, read the information on the actual site, read the sites meta tags and also follow the links that the site connects to performing indexing on all linked Web sites as well. The crawler returns all that information back to a central depository, where the data is indexed. The crawler will periodically return to the sites to check for any information that has changed. The frequency with which this happens is determined by the administrators of the search engine. Human-powered search engines rely on humans to submit information that is subsequently indexed and catalogued. Only information that is submitted is put into the index. In both cases, when you query a search engine to locate information, youre actually searching through the index that the search engine has created -you are not actually searching the Web. These indices are giant databases of information that is collected and stored and subsequently searched. This explains why sometimes a search on a commercial search engine, such as Yahoo! or Google, will return results that are, in fact, dead links. Since the search results are based on the index, if the index hasnt been updated since a Web page became invalid the search engine treats the page as still an active link even though it no longer is. It will remain that way until the index is updated. So why will the same search on different search engines produce different results? Part of the answer to that question is because not all indices are going to be exactly the same. It depends on what the spiders find or what the humans submitted. But more important, not every search engine uses the same algorithm to search through the indices. The algorithm is what the search engines use to determine the relevance of the information in the index to what the user is searching for. One of the elements that a search engine algorithm scans for is the frequency and location of keywords on a Web page. Those with higher frequency are typically considered more relevant. But search engine technology is becoming sophisticated in its attempt to discourage what is known as keyword stuffing, or spamdexing. Another common element that algorithms analyze is the way that pages link to other pages in the Web. By analyzing how pages link to each other, an engine can both determine what a page is about (if the keywords of the linked pages are similar to the keywords on the original page) and whether that page is considered important and deserving of a boost in ranking. Just as the technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated to ignore keyword stuffing, it is also becoming more savvy to Web masters who build artificial links into their sites in order to build an artificial ranking. Did You Know. The first tool for searching the Internet, created in 1990, was called Archie. It downloaded directory listings of all files located on public anonymous FTP servers; creating a searchable database of filenames. A year later Gopher was created. It indexed plain text documents. Veronica and Jughead came along to search Gophers index systems. The first actual Web search engine was developed by Matthew Gray in 1993 and was called Wandex. Basic Fundementals Of Search Engines A search engine operates, in the following order Web crawling Indexing Searching Web search engines work by storing information about many web pages, which they retrieve from the html itself. These pages are retrieved by a Web crawler (sometimes also known as a spider) an automated Web browser which follows every link on the site. Exclusions can be made by the use of robots.txt. The contents of each page are then analyzed to determine how it should be indexed (for example, words are extracted from the titles, headings, or special fields called meta tags). Data about web pages are stored in an index database for use in later queries. A query can be a single word. The purpose of an index is to allow information to be found as quickly as possible. Some search engines, such as Google, store all or part of the source page (referred to as a cache) as well as information about the web pages, whereas others, such as AltaVista, store every word of every page they find. This cached page always holds the actual search text since it is the one that was actually indexed, so it can be very useful when the content of the current page has been updated and the search terms are no longer in it. This problem might be considered to be a mild form of linkrot, and Googles handling of it increases usability by satisfying user expectations that the search terms will be on the returned webpage. This satisfies the principle of least astonishment since the user normally expects the search terms to be on the returned pages. Increased search relevance makes these cached pages very useful, even beyond the fact that they may contain data that may no longer be available elsewhere. When a user enters a query into a search engine (typically by using key words), the engine examines its index and provides a listing of best-matching web pages according to its criteria, usually with a short summary containing the documents title and sometimes parts of the text. The index is built from the information stored with the data and the method by which the information is indexed. Unfortunately, there are currently no known public search engines that allow documents to be searched by date. Most search engines support the use of the boolean operators AND, OR and NOT to further specify the search query. Boolean operators are for literal searches that allow the user to refine and extend the terms of the search. The engine looks for the words or phrases exactly as entered. Some search engines provide an advanced feature called proximity search which allows users to define the distance between keywords. There is also concept-based searching where the research involves using stati stical analysis on pages containing the words or phrases you search for. As well, natural language queries allow the user to type a question in the same form one would ask it to a human. A site like this would be ask.com. The usefulness of a search engine depends on the relevance of the result set it gives back. While there may be millions of web pages that include a particular word or phrase, some pages may be more relevant, popular, or authoritative than others. Most search engines employ methods to rank the results to provide the best results first. How a search engine decides which pages are the best matches, and what order the results should be shown in, varies widely from one engine to another. The methods also change over time as Internet usage changes and new techniques evolve. There are two main types of search engine that have evolved: one is a system of predefined and hierarchically ordered keywords that humans have programmed extensively. The other is a system that generates an inverted index by analyzing texts it locates. This second form relies much more heavily on the computer itself to do the bulk of the work. Most Web search engines are commercial ventures supported by advertising revenue and, as a result, some employ the practice of allowing advertisers to pay money to have their listings ranked higher in search results. Those search engines which do not accept money for their search engine results make money by running search related ads alongside the regular search engine results. The search engines make money every time someone clicks on one of these ads. Different types of search engines Aesop Search The Aesop spider looks for new meta tag to allow webmasters to automatically describe their site. AltaVista The default search results consist of GoTo and results from the Altavista spider (over 500M pages). Displays related searches. Offers translation services and multimedia searches. Ask Jeeves The polite butler Jeeves answers all your questions asked in plain English. If Jeeves doesnt understand your question, it gives you the top-results from other search engines. Brand New Sites Directory of just born sites (less than 6 months old) classified in 284 categories. Direct Hit Search engine which ranks its search results based on user popularity. Often provides good results for popular queries. Entireweb.com Search engine claiming over 80M documents. Excite Matching content from the Overture website is displayed first. After that come the search results from the Dogpile and directory results from ODP. Fast Search Search with a clear interface through a database of over 300 million web pages. Also offers FTP and MP3 search. First-Search.com Returns only the homepage of sites. Targeted at users who are searching for good sites, rather than particular pages. Google! Lists the results in the order of popularity, determined by the number of links from other sites. Frequently gives you right results first. All pages in the Google index are cached, and you can search for pages related to a specific page. HotBot An advanced search engine. There are many configurable options, both in simple as in advanced search mode. ILor search Allows users to create annotated comments on top of search results Lycos Displays matches from sites part of the Lycos Network and very popular sites first. Then follow Open Directory results, sometimes followed by results from the Lycos crawler. On the bottom there are links to relevant news articles and products to buy. Northern Light A search engine for professional web users. They have a general search engine, and a Special Collection of 4M journals/books/mags which are accessable on a pay-per-view basis. PageSeeker Search engine with an interactive interface. [Requires Flash] Raging Search No-nonsense search engine from Altavista. It even returns the same search results as Altavista. There are no banners or any other content that would distract you from your mission. 7Search.com Search results include web site information, such as email addresses, location, age and site popularity. (When available). You can choose to be notified when there are sites matching your criteria added to their database. SearchHippo A crisp and clean spider based web search with free PHP, XSLT and XML code for integration. SearchKing Search engine using searchers input to determine relevancy and placement and has instant indexing. Teoma Search Searches deliver pages grouped by subject and as a listing, seaches can be modified to search for an exact phrase and to include and exclude specific terms. TrueSearch Search engine actively removes dead links. WebCrawler Search engine and web directory. Displays matching categories first. After that come the results from the WebCraweler spider, without descriptions. WISEnut Up-to-date index on almost 1.5 billion pages, including site categorization and international search support. Yep A portal and search engine that ranks sites by popularity. Zerx You can view sites related to another site, or refine your existing search using that site. Google Search Engine Google Search, a web search engine, is the companys most popular service. According to market research published by comScore in November 2009, Google is the dominant search engine in the United States market, with a market share of 65.6%.Google indexes billions of web pages, so that users can search for the information they desire, through the use of keywords and operators. Despite its popularity, it has received criticism from a number of organizations. In 2003, The New York Times complained about Googles indexing, claiming that Googles caching of content on their site infringed on their copyright for the content. In this case, the United States District Court of Nevada ruled in favor of Google in Field v. Google and Parker v. Google. Furthermore, the publication 2600: The Hacker Quarterly has compiled a list of words that the web giants new instant search feature will not search. Google Watch has also criticized Googles PageRank algorithms, saying that they discriminate against new websites and favor established sites, and has made allegations about connections between Google and the NSA and the CIA. Despite criticism, the basic search engine has spread to specific services as well, including an image search engine, the Google News search site, Google Maps, and more. In early 2006, the company launched Google Video, which allowed users to upload, search, and watch videos from the Internet. In 2009, however, uploads to Google Video were discontinued so that Google could focus more on the search aspect of the service. The company even developed Google Desktop, a desktop search application used to search for files local to ones computer. Googles most recent development in search is their partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to create Google Patents, which enables free access to information about patents and trademarks. One of the more controversial search services Google hosts is Google Books. The company began scanning books and uploading limited previews, and full books where allowed, into their new book search engine. The Authors Guild, a group that represents 8,000 U.S. authors, filed a class action suit in a Manhattan federal court against Google in 2005 over this new service. Google replied that it is in compliance with all existing and historical applications of copyright laws regarding books. Google eventually reached a revised settlement in 2009 to limit its scans to books from the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada. Furthermore, the Paris Civil Court ruled against Google in late 2009, asking them to remove the works of La Martinià ¨re (Éditions du Seuil) from their database. In competition with Amazon.com, Google plans to sell digital versions of new books.Similarly, in response to newcomer Bing, on July 21, 2010, Google updated their image search to display a streaming sequence of thumbnails that enlarge when pointed at. Though web searches still appear in a batch per page format, on July 23, 2010, dictionary definitions for certain English words began appearing above the linked results for web searches. Productivity tools In addition to its standard web search services, Google has released over the years a number of online productivity tools. Gmail, a free webmail service provided by Google, was launched as an invitation-only beta program on April 1, 2004, and became available to the general public on February 7, 2007. The service was upgraded from beta status on July 7, 2009, at which time it had 146 million users monthly.The service would be the first online email service with one gigabyte of storage, and the first to keep emails from the same conversation together in one thread, similar to an Internet forum. The service currently offers over 7400 MB of free storage with additional storage ranging from 20 GB to 16 TB available for US$0.25 per 1 GB per year. Furthermore, software developers know Gmail for its pioneering use of AJAX, a programming technique that allows web pages to be interactive without refreshing the browser. One criticism of Gmail has been the potential for data disclosure, a risk associated with many online web applications. Steve Ballmer (Microsofts CEO),Liz Figueroa,Mark Rasch, and the editors of Google Watch believe the processing of email message content goes beyond proper use, but Google claims that mail sent to or from Gmail is never read by a human being beyond the account holder, and is only used to improve relevance of advertisements. Google Docs, another part of Googles productivity suite, allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on documents in an online environment, not dissimilar to Microsoft Word. The service was originally called Writely, but was obtained by Google on March 9, 2006, where it was released as an invitation-only preview.On June 6 after the acquisition, Google created an experimental spreadsheet editing program, which would be combined with Google Docs on October 10. A program to edit presentations would complete the set on September 17, 2007, before all three services were taken out of beta along with Gmail, Google Calendar and all products from the Google Apps Suite on July 7, 2009. Enterprise products Google entered the enterprise market in February 2002 with the launch of its Google Search Appliance, targeted toward providing search technology for larger organizations. Google launched the Mini three years later, which was targeted at smaller organizations. Late in 2006, Google began to sell Custom Search Business Edition, providing customers with an advertising-free window into Google.coms index. The service was renamed Google Site Search in 2008. Another one of Googles enterprise products is Google Apps Premier Edition. The service, and its accompanying Google Apps Education Edition and Standard Edition, allow companies, schools, and other organizations to bring Googles online applications, such as Gmail and Google Documents, into their own domain. The Premier Edition specifically includes extras over the Standard Edition such as more disk space, API access, and premium support, and it costs $50 per user per year. A large implementation of Google Apps with 38,000 users is at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. In the same year Google Apps was launched, Google acquired Postini and proceeded to integrate the companys security technologies into Google Apps under the name Google Postini Services. Company Perspectives: Googles founders have often stated that the company is not serious about anything but search. They built a company around the idea that work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun. To that end, Googles culture is unlike any in corporate America, and its not because of the ubiquitous lava lamps and large rubber balls, or the fact that the companys chef used to cook for the Grateful Dead. In the same way Google puts users first when it comes to our online service, Google Inc. puts employees first when it comes to daily life in our Googleplex headquarters. There is an emphasis on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments that contribute to the companys overall success. Ideas are traded, tested and put into practice with an alacrity that can be dizzying. Meetings that would take hours elsewhere are frequently little more than a conversation in line for lunch and few walls separate those who write the code from those who write the checks. This highly communi cative environment fosters a productivity and camaraderie fueled by the realization that millions of people rely on Google results. Give the proper tools to a group of people who like to make a difference, and they will. Key Dates: 1995: Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page meet at Stanford University. 1997: BackRub, the precursor to the Google search engine, is founded. 1998: Google is incorporated and moves into its first office in a Menlo Park, California, garage. 1999: Google moves its headquarters to Palo Alto, California, and later to Mountain View, California; Red Hat becomes Googles first commercial customer. 2000: Yahoo! Internet Life magazine names Google the Best Search Engine on the Internet; Google becomes the largest search engine on the Web and launches the Google Toolbar. 2001: Google acquires Deja.coms Usenet archive and launches Google PhoneBook; Dr. Eric Schmidt joins Google as chairman of the board of directors and is later appointed CEO. 2002: Google launches the Google Search Appliance, AdWords Select, the 2001 Search Engine Awards, and Google Compute. Conclusion Online research has become an essential skill for writers. What typically took place in libraries, by phone calls or visits to experts in the field is being changed because of the Internet. Experts can sometimes be contacted by email and information, whether it is addresses, phone numbers, or detailed specifics on a certain subject, can be accessed on the World Wide Web. Search Engines have become the most important tools in locating this information, so it is important to know how to use them effectively. Search skills can be developed through practice in using the search engines and by reading the help pages provided by the search engines themselves. Over time, you will learn which search engine is good for pulling up what kind of information. This article will provide a general overview of the various search engines and some of their advanced search features which will help you with your online research.