Jon Udell points to Robin Good writes on the need for a new type of professional to “to concert, orchestrate, edit, and refine quality search formulas that tap into the whole RSS universe and beyond, and that filter out relevant content based on selected keywords, sources, type of content, ranking and many other possible criteria.”
The guy I am envisioning is a new type of webmaster who specializes in crafting uniquely powerful magic search formulas generating continuos RSS feed on narrowly selected topics by:
a) selecting and aggregating valuable resources (like a normal aggregator does)
b) creating advanced search queries in the blogosphere ( a la Bloglines)
c) creating advanced search queries on the traditional Web content at large
d) creating advanced search queries on the overall pot of content derived at points a), b) and c) and generating new highly filtered RSS feeds matching specific content and quality criteria.
Searching and identifying key valuable sources and complex filtering formulas will be the outstanding job of the new information gatherers and publishers online: the NewsMasters.
Their ability and craft will be in identifying the query formulas that when cleverly combined and refined by trial and error will allow for powerful automatic news gathering formulas. These formulas need not only to identify the keywords/keyphrases that generate the best and most relevant set of results but need to grow through the intelligent use of multiple filtering criteria and precisely targeted inclusion/exclusion mechanisms.
The creation of dedicated information channels, originated by independent publishers and not by vested commercial interests or mainstream media conglomerates may create the opportunity for a true renaissance of culture, learning and to a multiplication of our abilities to manage large amounts of rapidly changing information.
Search specialist and librarians who will craft with time investments appropriate queries to get at the information they were looking for, will be generously rewarded with a eternal fountains of relevant info for the time to come.
The act of search evolves from a mere set one-time shots at finding something just-in-time, to the start of a collective refined meta-filtering process that generates better information for everyone.
I think some of the best bloggers are already that. I can also imagine some of the educated Indians getting into this. [E M E R G I C . o r g]