On a previous post I wrote regarding AboutUs’s business focus, Martin left a comment regarding navigation. He mentioned that he had tried searching for “DuPont” and wound up with a search results page that was too broad to be useful.
At AboutUs I typed “DuPont†in the search window, expecting to see search results similar to what I might see at Google or Hoovers, but I can make no sense of the search results, few if any even contain the name of “DuPontâ€. I think to myself, “this has no relevance to me, one trying to gain the mentioned information about a companyâ€.
I thought this point was a valuable one and needed to be addressed. So, here goes.
AboutUs has millions of pages. Wikis in general are self-proliferating, so it’s easier even than a blog to create new pages and establish new linked relationships. Well, we have put a huge amount of effort into making AboutUs even easier to use in terms of creating and adding value to a page than most wikis are. I think it’s safe to say, we’ve accomplished that goal. We could hardly grow at the rate we have if we hadn’t.
Of course, with a site so big, most people, especially those not wiki veterans, are going to want to use a search function to narrow the pages they’ll need to examine to find the information they want.
As with all companies, AboutUs doesn’t have unlimited resources, so we have to prioritize. things get done before other things. But one of the reasons we wanted to bring this blog of ours a little more forward in the mix was precisely so that we could have conversations with you about what you wanted and needed to make AboutUs a more useful tool and resource. Martin’s point, that our search function needs attention and improvement, is well taken. I’ve “escalated” the issue to Mark and here’s what he said.
“Just as Wikipedia took a while to build, so will AboutUs. Now if you type in DuPont, it will get you to a page that also asks if you are interested in the company and links you there through a simple WikiLink.” Incremental change will always make AboutUs better. We are also interested in improving the site on its technical end. We have done that consistently for the last year and a half. As alway, Martin is pushing in the right direction. Look forward to working more with him.”
I think the key is that, sure, AboutUs is going to continue to push the effectiveness of the site and the technologies that power it. But one of the things that makes us different is that instead of being, at best, receptive to input, we are designed to absorb hands-on reader changes. The more you who utilize AboutUs take an active role in shaping the site to reflect your needs, the better the site will be in doing just that.
So, don’t be a passive observer. Jump into the fray influence your brains out.
{ 4 comments }
I thought this was a great post for those, like Martin, who are familiar with wiki. But for those masses who stumble upon AboutUs.org, I think it’s important to point out how best to use our “find” bar.
To start with, stick to websites. For Martin’s “Dupont” example, typing “Dupont.com” will get you a typical AboutUs wiki page.
Once visitors get the hang of the type of information we have, it will be much easier to determine how best to contribute their knowledge.
So for now, go ahead and include the .com, .net, .org etc… You’ll get much more useful results.
Enjoy the wiki!
The universe of information about companies is very large. Within this domain the type of information that often has the highest market place value is often keep secret by companies, for very good reasons – the atmosphere is anything but “open and transparentâ€. Because of this there exists a professional field that does competitive intelligence. Large companies often have competitive intelligence departments, sometimes within marketing or R&D divisions, other times getting via outside consulting services reporting directly to high level executives (such service contractors purposely kept from public view).
When I am in a working mode of needing to “find out information about a companyâ€, it is typically as part of some other project, meaning it is not the end goal of my work, rather one stepping stone. As such my mindset is one of wanting a “service†that will get me the company information I seek, with the least amount of my invested time.
For such company information (my company information finding needs are admittedly not easy to service)I currently use a combination of services other than aboutus, because I view them as a faster and more efficient way to gain the business information I need. I suspect that the smart folks behind aboutus will keep making refinements and improvements so perhaps some time in the future they will actually be the place I go to gain information about companies.
My wish list for “finding information about a companyâ€.
In the aboutus search box I could enter my desired company’s name. Then there is displayed a picture that looks similar to a family tree, showing the internal structure of the company, with “all†managers or executive’s names depicted over the division each heads. In this way one can “at a glace†see who has the most clout, and who is at a higher level than another (also one can then quickly see if the company is flat in management style, or pyramid structure). Then if one clicks to the executive’s name, his or her biography is presented, their contact information, and a brief description of the division or department they head.
Some government web sites are beginning to have this type of information available, but I have yet to see for large corporations.
I also know that lots of corporations would resist having such information publicly displayed for various reasons. The fact is today large corporations have the automation horsepower to rather easily find out lots of information about me, yet I, Joe Six Pack, don’t have the automation tools to easily find out the same “in-depth†information about the corporations. This should come as no surprise. Large corporations tend to have the big financial resources and the political clout. But someday maybe Wiki systems can give the little guy some better leverage (I am not holding my breath).
It’s definitely going to take AboutUs a while to satisfy Martin’s needs about company information. And yet, I would say that is the kind of thing we’re working towards. As long as it’s public information, it’s fair game, and fairly soon we’re going to be seeing more info on the pages. It’s not going to be everything everyone wants, but it’s a step in the right direction.
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