[Search-l] Short interview with Jeremie Miller

[John McCormac]

Jimmy Wales wrote:
> John McCormac wrote:
> 
>> Well it should be interesting to see. How exactly can a bunch of 
>> enthusiasts monitor for abuse? The fundamental flaw in this is that 
>> search and the facilities to detect and remove spam and abuse are 
>> highly automated. Wikiasearch seems to be going back to the Infinite 
>> Monkeys approach of replacing highly automated systems with manual ones.
> 
> 
> I think you are really not getting what our thinking is here.

Which is the reason for most of my questions here Jimmy,
Some of the stuff like the commoditisation of search where Wikiasearch 
repackages web content for use by anyone is one of the hardest things to 
understand given the potential misuse of the data.

> The point is not to replace computers with humans doing tedious work, 
> but to recognize that automated systems are not value-neutral, and that 
> the editorial decision making in search should be done in an open, 
> transparent, and participatory way.

It sounds like something that is similar to web directories where people 
can vote for particular sites. Is the web content that Wikiasearch 
harvests going to be made available in bulk to everyone?

The problem with successful search engines is that their algorithms, 
once people know and understand them, will be gamed. It therefore 
becomes a continual process of upgrade and modification. This is where I 
wonder if you and Jer have any idea of the process of running a search 
engine in real time. With success comes greater responsibilities, 
opportunities, competition and threats.

What safeguards will there be to stop its abuse of the repackaged web 
content? What is to stop Wikiasearch from ending up like ODP with its 
editorial structure?

Is there any chance that you and Jer can create something like a 
Wikiasearch Manifesto or even a FAQ on the whole project?

Regards...jmcc
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