The New York Times
had an interesting article, YouTube’s Quest to Suggest More, that covered their
goal to have people stay longer on the site which would increase ad revenue.
Compared to other Web sites with similar content (or really almost any Web
site) they are way ahead. But compared to that other channel for viewing
content, televsion, they are way behind. Users spend an average of 15 minutes a
day on the site and they spend about five hours in front of the television.

To increase time
spent on YouTube Hunter Walk leads a team of about a dozen engineers, designers
and project managers who are fine-tuning YouTube to users what they want, even
when users aren’t quite sure what they really want. This is where discovery
comes in. One way is to select the 10-15 most appealing videos for a specific
user from their library of over 100 million.

The process starts
with search. The NYT reported that in November, Americans typed some 3.8
billion search queries on YouTube, more than on any search engine other than
Google, according to comScore, a market researcher. But there is a
difference. While Google queries tend to be very specific, users often come to
YouTube with requests as vague as “funny videos.” This is where discovery can
help by providing a range of results that are not simply literal matches.

One challenge is when
to anticipate the user might be getting tried of their original topic and
proactively offer related content to keep them on site.  One way to provide good options
suggesting videos that users may want to watch based on prior viewing before, or
on what others with similar tastes have enjoyed. The effort requires
data-mining techniques similar to those used by and Amazon to make music or book recommendations.

Darwin Ecosystems is
also in the discovery business. Instead of offering content in a list format
based on your prior behavior or others similar to you, it offers a set of
topics arranged in a Scan Cloud™ that correlate with the original search term
or, as we say attractor. Then you can hop around to explore the related topics
based on your interests. It is an alternative model to trying to read your mind
as YouTube and Amazon do.  Instead,
it gives you a range of choices in an easy interface to allow you to better
make up your own mind. 

The New York Times
had an interesting article, YouTube’s Quest to Suggest More, that covered their
goal to have people stay longer on the site which would increase ad revenue.
Compared to other Web sites with similar content (or really almost any Web
site) they are way ahead. But compared to that other channel for viewing
content, televsion, they are way behind. Users spend an average of 15 minutes a
day on the site and they spend about five hours in front of the television.

To increase time
spent on YouTube Hunter Walk leads a team of about a dozen engineers, designers
and project managers who are fine-tuning YouTube to users what they want, even
when users aren’t quite sure what they really want. This is where discovery
comes in. One way is to select the 10-15 most appealing videos for a specific
user from their library of over 100 million.

The process starts
with search. The NYT reported that in November, Americans typed some 3.8
billion search queries on YouTube, more than on any search engine other than
Google, according to comScore, a market researcher. But there is a
difference. While Google queries tend to be very specific, users often come to
YouTube with requests as vague as “funny videos.” This is where discovery can
help by providing a range of results that are not simply literal matches.

One challenge is when
to anticipate the user might be getting tried of their original topic and
proactively offer related content to keep them on site.  One way to provide good options
suggesting videos that users may want to watch based on prior viewing before, or
on what others with similar tastes have enjoyed. The effort requires
data-mining techniques similar to those used by and Amazon to make music or book recommendations.

Darwin Ecosystems is
also in the discovery business. Instead of offering content in a list format
based on your prior behavior or others similar to you, it offers a set of
topics arranged in a Scan Cloud™ that correlate with the original search term
or, as we say attractor. Then you can hop around to explore the related topics
based on your interests. It is an alternative model to trying to read your mind
as YouTube and Amazon do.  Instead,
it gives you a range of choices in an easy interface to allow you to better
make up your own mind. 

Integrating Microsoft ASP.NET into RedDot CMS
Learn it the right way here

Is it easy to integrate .NET into your RedDot CMS project? Yes it is, if you know how and obey some simple rules. This article gives you a best practice on how to include any .NET functionality for your published website within your RedDot CMS templates.

If you can avoid using inline code within your RedDot Content Classes then do it

Inline code within a content class can’t be versioned as it could be with a version control system when developing standard .NET solutions outside of any CMS. You can’t develop or test properly using inline code within the CMS. Whenever you have to change the .NET part of your project you would need a RedDot Consultant or some of their knowledge and hence your project doubles up on resources. Don’t integrate inline code within your CMS.

Let the CMS handle content – Don’t care about the rest

There is a clear understanding of what your CMS should handle for you – your content – and what it should not take care of – styling and dynamic functionality may it be Javascript, .NET or any other scripting technology. The CMS is your data storage and management layer, the web server is your presentation and visualization layer and hence it is the point where dynamic functionality, styling and user interaction takes place. By keeping those parts separate you ensure to have a stable, scalable and furthermore easily maintain- and upgradeable Content Management Solution. Read more on this topic here

Example – How to integrate .Net properly using User Controls

Instead of just adding a page directive followed by your inline code you should use user controls. Given that your code will be used on your website and not within the Open Text CMS ASP.NET User Controls are the best way to embedded dynamic functionality within your project.
There are basically two points where .NET is included in your template. The first one needs to be in every template which uses User Controls unless you integrate it using a container. The second one works as placeholder for the .NET functionality:

1. Reference the .ascx file at the very top of the template

<reddot:cms><if><query valuea="Context:CurrentRenderMode" operator="==" valueb="Int:2"><htmltext>
<%@ page language="C#" %>
<%@ Register Src="~/UserControls/Search.ascx" TagName="Search" TagPrefix="uc" %>
</htmltext></query></if></reddot:cms>

This example references a code behind file for a search used on the web server. It is placed in the top of every page instance created with this template. This way you only have to integrate the .NET reference once in each template. You can break it down to once per project if you use a container approach.

2. Place the User control tags as placeholder for the .NET functionality

<body>
  <div id="site">
    <div id="header">
<reddot:cms><if><query valuea="Context:CurrentRenderMode" operator="==" valueb="Int:2"><htmltext>
      <uc:Search ID="Search" runat="server"/>
</htmltext></query></if></reddot:cms>

This is the ASP.NET User Control for your search interface. Since you don’t run the search inside of your CMS project we have used a Render Tag to exclude this block from showing up within the CMS. If you want to be fancy you can put some placeholder content here by using a different Context:CurrentRenderMode block where you use valuea=”Context:CurrentRenderMode” operator=”<>” valueb=”Int:2″ to show HTML code only on the CMS server, you can read more about this here.

Maintain & edit your ASP.NET code outside of the CMS

By following the example above whenever you have to update your .NET code you just have to change your .ascx file, there is no need to touch or even deploy the .ascx file to the CMS server. There is an approach of using the built-in .Net folder within RedDot CMS but since you might as well just upload your files manually I dare to say – Why bother? Ok, you should bother in a clustered server system where you publish to multiple publishing targets, but for a simple one CMS one web server setup you might as well just stick to manual deployments.

Changing ASP.NET properties and influencing your .NET from within the CMS

In RedDot we are able to insert User Control tag into any area of a page. If you have to influence settings or content areas you can use several ways to generate content and integrate those within .Net applications. You can use XML files published by RedDot CMS or user attributes with inline edited content to changed and/or edit properties. Those can be passed through to your User Controls. No need to use the CMS as IDE for your .NET solutions, keep all parts of your project separate and everything is just fine.
Are you interested in how to integrate CSS files within the CMS? Read this article here or on a high level understanding and “how to” for CSS and CMS in general this article here.

And you?

How do you integrate ASP.NET in your RedDot CMS projects?

Read more RedDot CMS best practice articles here.

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Recently I was fortunate enough to meet with David Pullinger from the UK governments Central Office of Information (COI), who are driving our government’s citizen engagement strategy  and mandating the policy around which government must adhere to.
It was an incredibly absorbing meeting as we took a fast ride around all elements of where a citizen [...]

This year's KM World Conference &
Exhibition has moved to Washington, D.C. It will be November 16 – 18, 2010 at Marriott Renaissance, The Enterprise
Search Summit 2010 will be at the New York Hilton on May 11-12. It is nice to see these two conferences on the East
Coast. I went last year in the November to the combined
conference in San Jose.

I will be presenting at the Enterprise Search
Summit 2010 with my Darwin Colleague, Thierry Hubert. We are presenting on Deriving Order From Chaos Through Discovery and
Awareness. Our session is on Wednesday May 12 at 1PM. The Enterprise
Search Summit says that the “emphasis for Enterprise Search Summit is on how enterprise
search enables Information Access. Search can no longer be viewed as a
stand-alone application. It is increasingly part of everything we do and has
become the de facto gateway to information in the enterprise.” I would
certainly agree.

The KM World announcement said that this year's
theme is KnowHow: the Knowledge-Driven
Enterprise. “The knowledge of how to do something smoothly and
efficiently with technical skill and expertise — also known as
"knowhow" — drives every enterprise, agency, and organization.
Creating knowledge bases, sharing them effectively, using them for
decision-making and innovation.”

This sounds familiar but it is great that it is
still very relevant. The session shave a 2.0 flavor like last year. I hope to
be able to attend. Deadline for speaker submissions is March 1. Here are my notes
from the combined event KM World and Enterprise Search Summit last year.

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: Resetting the Enterprise With 2.0 Collaborative
Tools

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: The Role of Social Techniques in Search &
How It Impacts Your Organization

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: Evolve From a Tactical E-Discovery Approach to
Search and E-Discovery

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: Enterprise Search Technologies

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: Fundamentals of Enterprise Search

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: From Birth to Billions: The Life Story of
Google Enterprise Search

My KM World and
Enterprise Search Summit Notes: Is Semantic Technology Real?

A new version of mojoPortal was released today, version 2.3.3.9. The most significant change for this release is the introduction by the developers for their support in using html templates generated by Artisteer to make skins for mojoPortal. Two new skins made with Artisteer templates are included in this release as well.

The new version of mojoPortal also includes additional changes:

• Image Gallery now uses friendlier file names and you can optionally move existing Galleries below the /Data/Sites/[SiteID]/media folder to make it easy to browse gallery images from the editor.
• People often don’t notice that the forums is integrated into site search, so a search box in the forums has been added that redirects to site search and filters for forum content.
• A search feature in the Url Manager to make it easier to find an url when you have lots of them.
• FCKeditor upgraded from 2.6.5 to 2.6.6
• Using the new jQuery 1.4.2
• Russian and Portuguese resources files have been updated

Additional information about mojoPortal 2.3.3.9 can be found at mojoPortal.com.

Here is an interesting post
that I can certainly agree with. Aaron Kahlow writes about the information curation potential of
social media in his post, 2010: Social Media Removes the Dam of
Gutenberg-Google.

Aaron begins with the effect
of the printing press. It certainly opened up content distribution way beyond
what the monks doing hand written work could accomplish. However, it
established new controls over what content got out. You still needed to have
the resources to set up a printing press, print and distribute works.

Now there is the Web and you
might think the dam is broken. In one sense it has, as there are very few
barriers to getting content out on the Web. In 2008 there was more content
created than in the entire prior history. 
The trick is finding this content, especially the quality stuff. This is
where Google has both helped and created a new bottleneck. As Aaron writes, “With
only 10+ organic results and a similar number of paid results, consumers will
only find content they seek in those 20 places — with less than 20 percent
being relevant as it relates to information they seek.” For example a search on
“green card” will get you a lot of services that want to charge you money for
what the US government does for free.

Aaron goes on to comment
that social media can help break this new dam. Now we can “get good information
through tweets of those we follow, Facebook Sharing, and from others within our
networks who are usually connected online. We have a new discovery outlet and a
new way to find stories, whether mainstream or from an unknown blogger. We find
things based on recommendations of trusted colleagues, friends, etc.”  This is how I found Aaron’s post.

Peter Cashmore raises a
similar point in his predictions for 2010 than I commented on earlier (see Reflecting on Peter Cashmore's Web Trends to Watch in 2010). Peter
wrote that, “The Web's biggest challenge of recent years is that content
creation is outpacing our ability to consume it:
"Information overload" has become an increasingly common complaint…
In 2008, the answer revealed itself: Your friends are your filter…
Increasingly, your friends are becoming the curators of your
consumption.”  I certainly agree here and Twitter has served this role for
me.  Much of what I write about on my blogs comes from my Twitter friends,
including the link to Peter Cashmore’s predictions.

Aaron
offers some good points to make effective use fo social media to get your
content out. Instead of having to
contact a prominent journalist to write a story about your company, you can use
your own channels such as blogs to consistently write good content worth
tweeting and sharing.
 You can also leverage your own social networks to start
sharing content. 
These are all reasons that we write this blog and participate
in Twitter and other social media.

Darwin
Ecosystem Awareness Engine™ is designed to address this issue of finding
relevant quality content without having to go through the filter of Google or
other search engines. Unlike Google, it does not decide what content is most
relevant but rather lays out the content related to your topic of interest in
clusters of themes and lets you explore what themes interest you. (see: A Comparison of Google Web Search and the Darwin Awareness Engine™). 

Darwin
allows you to become your own curator for topics of your interest. You can also
go beyond this to act as a curator for friend or colleagues You can set
attractors on your topics of interest: people, places, concepts, and more. Then
you can see what emerges. This can be especially valuable for niche areas. You
can create your own online magazine. It can cover a much greater array of
source than Google News and it will show the relationships between news items
that emerge rather than simply displaying them. You can adjust your filters to
further focus you’re your curation efforts. We see content curation as one of
the major applications for the Darwin Awareness Engine™.

Microsoft Office may be one of the world’s most widely deployed software packages.

A backstage pass…

Indeed, with a user base of 500 million, any changes or updates to the suite are significant for that fact alone.

In the upcoming Office 2010 release, there are many areas that have been retooled and refined; however, for the typical knowledge worker, the most obvious will be the user interface.  In this research brief, we will look at how the user interacts with a document through the new Navigation pane and Backstage view.

The new Navigation pane in Word enables users to move around a document, search for content, and change the structure and organization of headings.  This replaces the old Document Map and Thumbnail panes and brings those feature sets into one place along with Find.  Users browse through a document by heading, page, or search results.  Content in a section is moved around a document by dragging-and-dropping the tab for the heading.  Additionally, the outline of a document can be manipulated to promote or demote sections.  When sections are moved, all headings and subheadings automatically adjust.

Office 2010 also features a new way to manage documents, the Backstage view.  This new functionality extends across the entire Office suite.  The Backstage view appears when the user clicks on the File tab from within an application.  The view that opens up provides the user with access to tabs that show document info,  permissions, versioning, printing options, and sharing options.  The user has multiple options for sharing including e-mailing the document as an attachment or link, or via a blog post.

Backstage also includes Accessibility Checker, which allows users to identify elements of a document that may cause problems when used with assistive technologies.  These functions were previously found in various Ribbon menus and, with 2010, have been separated out from functions that are needed for actual content creation.  The goal of Backstage is to help users work with documents, processes and workflows, as opposed to when you work in the document.

Features such as presence are incorporated into Backstage, making it possible to initiate contact with document authors and to see related documents.  Backstage is extensible, meaning that it can be customized to allow for a range of application data to be brought into the view.

The interfaces for Backstage and Navigation are smooth and intuitive to use, and the concept of separating these features and giving them their own panes that group like-minded features together is a good one.  Obviously getting used to features being in a different place takes some time, but Backstage and Navigation are both positive changes that increase usability .

We will be examining other important new features and enhancements in Office 2010 in the weeks to come.

Cody Burke is a senior analyst at Basex.

Microsoft Office is undoubtedly one of the most world’s most widely deployed software packages.
Indeed, with a user base of 500 million, any changes or updates to the suite are significant for that fact alone. In the upcoming Office 2010 release, there are many areas that have been retooled and refined; however, for the typical knowledge [...]

I admit I am a big Google advocate, I have spent a fair amount of time at their cool European HQ In London, at partner events and I even coded the first shipped iteration of our Google Search Appliance Connector (thankfully now looked after by proper developers!). Also, I admit I’ve only spent a few [...]