ResourceShelf writes about an exciting web search technology, described by IBM’s Paul Horn as “Google on steroids.”
The company has high hopes for Web Fountain, which was originally developed for a record company. The technology reads and understands text, and uses natural language to make correlations between words. Unlike traditional search, Web Fountain searches everything on the Web, including chat rooms, when set to that parameter. In the case of the record company, Horn says Web Fountain was a two-week leading indicator of sales. “The buzz in the chat rooms for an upcoming CD indicated what was going to be a hot seller.” Alfred Spector, vice president of services and software for IBM Research, says the company will begin selling pieces of this technology later this year. It can be applied not only to basic search but tacked onto call center and e-mail applications.
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