How Google Works: Are Search Engines Really Dumb and Should Educators Care?

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1 How Google Works: Are Search Engines Really Dumb and Should Educators Care? Paul Barron Director of Library and Archives George C. Marshall Foundation All Right Reserved. This presentation may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes only. Revised November 2012

We know our students Whereas libraries once seemed like the best answer to the

No Brief Candle: Preconceiving Research Libraries for the 21 st Century; Part II

org/pubs/reports/pub142/pub142.pdf JEFF STAHLER: (c) Columbus Dispatch Dist.

2 We know our students Whereas libraries once seemed like the best answer to the question, Where do I find? the search engine now rules. No Brief Candle: Preconceiving Research Libraries for the 21 st Century; Part II Council of Library and Information Resources JEFF STAHLER: (c) Columbus Dispatch Dist. by Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc For them, to Google is a lifestyle, a habit pattern. Do you agree? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 2

Student s # 1 Online Information Source Google Google was the go-to resource for almost all of the students in the sample. Nearly all of the students in the sample reported always Great!

3 Student s # 1 Online Information Source Google Google was the go-to resource for almost all of the students in the sample. Nearly all of the students in the sample reported always Great! We are one level above gossip. using Google, both for course-related research and everyday life research. How College Students Seek Information in the Digital Age VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 3 3

4 Should educators be concerned? There are consequences to our students and our educational system if we [allow] a search engine to define the parameters of effective research. The University of Google: Education in the (Post) Information Age Tara Brabazon VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 4

Especially when The prevalence of Google in student research is welldocumented, but the Illinois researchers found something they did not expect: students were not very good at using Google.

5 Especially when The prevalence of Google in student research is welldocumented, but the Illinois researchers found something they did not expect: students were not very good at using Google. They were clueless about how the search engine organizes and displays its results. Consequently, the students did not know how to build a search that would return good sources. What Students Don t Know Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries Project Inside Higher Ed ( VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 5

Why learn how Google works? Because We expect a lot search engines. We ask them vague questions about topics that we are unfamiliar and anticipate a concise organized response.

6 Why learn how Google works? Because We expect a lot search engines. We ask them vague questions about topics that we are unfamiliar and anticipate a concise organized response. You would have better success if you laid your head on the keyboard and coaxed the computer to read your mind. Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval Michael W. Berry and Murray Browne VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 6

7 If educators hope To change students excessive use of Google, educators must embrace Google and learn how the search engine works, in order To influence students to integrate Google use with other reliable sources of information. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 7

databases Not by excluding Google use Integrate Google use with use of library databases

8 Presentation Objective Increase our understanding of how search engines and Google work by dispelling search engine myths Propose a plan to increase the use of library research databases Not by excluding Google use Integrate Google use with use of library databases Goal - Enable us to help our students become better researchers VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 8

9 Presentation Objective: Dispel Search engine myths: understand a searcher s query, But we re not equal. I m.edu. treat all sites and domains the same when determining results, and I m.net. determine the results based on the popularity of the site with searchers. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 9

10 Presentation Objective: Dispel Search engine myths: Google accepts payment for ranking a site higher in the search results. Google removes sites from the database that staff find offensive or when requested by searchers. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 10

11 Myth: Google Accepts Pay for Ranking At Google we take our commitment to delivering useful and impartial search results very seriously. We don t ever accept payment to add a site to our index, update it more often, or improve its ranking. Matt Cutts Head of Google s Webspam Team VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 11

12 To understand how search engines work we must understand, search engines have no understanding of words or language. (They) don't recognize user intent, can't distinguish goal-oriented search from browsing search. A ResourceShelf Interview: 20 Questions with Dr. Gary Flake, Ph.D. Head of Yahoo! Research Labs Thursday, June 3, 2004 VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 12 12

13 And in 2010 We can write a computer program to beat the very best human chess players, but we can't write a program to understand a sentence anywhere near the precision of a child. Helping Computers Understand Language Steven Baker, Google Software Engineer Official Google Blog January 19, 2010 VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 13 13

14 And in 2012 Google has a confession to make: It does not understand you. Google Fellow Amit Singhal says Google doesn t understand the question. We cross our fingers and hope someone on the web has written about these things or topics. Google Knowledge Graph Could Change Search Forever VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 14

15 If Google doesn t understand my query how does Google determine how to select and rank the results in response to my query? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 15 15

16 What Google Considers on the Webpage Google s algorithms rely on more than 200 unique signals to determine a ranking. For example, how often the search terms occur on the webpage, if the search terms appear in the title or URL, and whether synonyms or the search terms occur on the page. Facts about Google and Competition An Update to our Search Algorithms (8/10/12) VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 16

17 What Google Considers Off the Webpage: Links PageRank PageRank A measure of the number and the quality of links to a webpage. Assumption - Important webpages receive more links from other webpages. Facts about Google and Competition VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 17

18 Question Okay I understand PageRank but VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 18

Matt Cutts of Google states, Popularity is different from accuracy and PageRank is different than popularity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?

19 Matt Cutts of Google states, Popularity is different from accuracy and PageRank is different than popularity. Therefore, Let s test that PageRank assertion is by different searching from for accuracy. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 19

20 Search Results Jew Watch News is the 5 th most popular and accurate result for our search. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 20

21 Jew Watch A Popular & Accurate Site? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 21

The Value of Quality Links With PageRank, five or six high-quality links from websites would be valued much more highly than twice as many links from less reputable or

22 The Value of Quality Links With PageRank, five or six high-quality links from websites would be valued much more highly than twice as many links from less reputable or established sites. Librarian Central How does Google collect and rank results? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 22 22

23 Checking the Links to JewWatch.com VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 23

24 Law School Links to Jew Watch.com VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 24

25 Look at Google s 3 rd Result VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 25

26 Google s Explanation subtleties of language VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 26

27 Please explain why Google does not consider the fact that the site is popular with us, the searchers who view the sites! VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 27 27

28 Why not consider searchers preferences? "We believe the approach which relies heavily on an individual's tastes and preferences [to rank results] just doesn't produce the quality and relevant ranking that our algorithms do." Amit Singhal; Google Fellow This is tough stuff 25 February VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 28 28

are less relevant. How Google Measures Search Quality Datawocky http://tinyurl.

29 Why!?! First: We have all been trained to trust Google and click on the first result. College students trust Google; they click on the number one abstract most of the time, even when the abstracts are less relevant. How Google Measures Search Quality Datawocky In Google We Trust: Users Decisions on Rank, Position, and Relevance Laura Granka Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 29 29

better information than the results on the first three But we are

Therefore, usage behavior does not provide the best feedback on the

30 Trusting Google too Much? Second: For informational queries if a result on page 4, provides better information than the results on the first three But we are the best results! pages, users will not know this result exists! Therefore, usage behavior does not provide the best feedback on the rankings. How Google Measures Search Quality Datawocky VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 30 30

31 And look at the first three results. 100% of participants looked at the top of the page, 85% looked at the bottom listing. Anything below the fold dropped dramatically to 50% at the top and a lowly 20% at the bottom. Eye Tracking Web Usability Study Reveals the Golden Triangle VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders Image Date - 14th November 2011 June 14,

32 Google Gullibility Many users are at the search engine's mercy and mainly click the top links a behavior [called] Google Gullibility. Sadly, while these top links are often not what they really need, users don't know how to do better. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, February 4, 2008 User Skills Improving, But Only Slightly VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 32

33 Consider this The computer screen is literally a small thing [that] may display just over 300 words. If this world becomes our reality, we actually are relying on less information, not the more that is available. The Google-ization of Knowledge Natasja Larson, Laura Servage, and Jim Parsons ; Faculty of Education; University of Alberta VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 33 33

34 Google doesn t need to consider RIGHT! the popularity of a website with searchers because their algorithm is so up-to-date that Google always returns the best results. Right? RIGHT! VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 34 34

35 Relevance in Google = Only an Opinion Google s assessments of the "value" of a web page are subjectively-determined [by] formulae to come up with a ranking. PageRanks are opinions. They're professional opinions, but they remain opinions. Google v. Google Replies to SearchKing Lawsuit Thursday, January 9, 2003 VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 35 35

Google's rankings are protected opinion. "The court simply finds there is no conceivable way to prove that the relative significance assigned to a given Web site is false.

36 Google's rankings are protected opinion. "The court simply finds there is no conceivable way to prove that the relative significance assigned to a given Web site is false. Accordingly, the court concludes Google's PageRanks are entitled to full constitutional protection. Judge Dismisses Suit Against Google May 30, 2003 VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 36 36

37 Evaluating Google s Opinion Google returns all sites with the phrase, martin luther king. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 37 37

38 Google s 4th Result as of VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 38 38

39 Martin Luther King.org Homepage VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 39 39

40 Martin Luther King.org is hosted by VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 40 40

41 The student wants to know Why was that site returned as the 4th result among the 89.3 million results!?! I thought Google and other search engines always returned the best results. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 41 41

42 Checking for.edu Links to the Webpage Link Check Returns results that are linked to a site; for example,.edu sites that are linked to Martin Luther King.org. Remember the importance of PageRank which measures the number and quality of links to a webpage. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 42

43 Link Check Results QUESTION By reviewing the webpage description can you determine the purpose of the.edu sites linking to Martin Luther King.org? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 43

44 Links from.edu &.gov Sites = Trust Google places a heavy bias on informational resources;.edu and.gov sites tend to rank higher than others. Google is the best at determining true link quality and places a lot of weight on domain trust levels. Can You Please Them All? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 44 44

Will Google remove MLK.org? The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, [and] the opinions of the general public, do not determine or impact our search results.

45 Will Google remove MLK.org? The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, [and] the opinions of the general public, do not determine or impact our search results. [W]e do not remove a page from our results because its content is unpopular or because we receive complaints concerning it. An explanation of our search results VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 45 45

46 Google s opinion is important; What can I do to influence the results returned by Google? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 46 46

47 Question. Search Engine Components Spider/Web Crawler/Robot Index Search Engine The only feature that you can control is the query entered into the search engine. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 47 47

48 Keyword Searching Keyword-based search works well if the users know exactly what they want and formulate queries with the right words. It does not help much and is sometimes even hopeless if the users only have vague concepts about what they are asking. Let s go see the librarian. Toward Topic Search on the Web Microsoft Research March VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 48

Searching With the Fewest Words as Possible There's a real imbalance in

People type the 81% of search engine queries are 4 words or less.

49 Searching With the Fewest Words as Possible There's a real imbalance in Web search. Users give us three words at a time. People type the 81% of search engine queries are 4 words or less. query "map," and then they get upset if it's not the map they were thinking of. The Future of Search: The head of Google Research talks about his group's projects. MIT Technology Review VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 49 49

50 And Never Mention the Topic We find that searchers turn so quickly to Google that they don't think about what they're searching for. It's surprising, we'll see people trying to find out something about a topic, but never mention the topic. The Art of the Field Study VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 50

Queries by Middle School Students A predominate difficulty students experience while performing Web-based research is constructing effective search strings.

51 Queries by Middle School Students A predominate difficulty students experience while performing Web-based research is constructing effective search strings. [M]iddle school students demonstrate unsophisticated skills when constructing search strings, using mainly broad terms and phrases. Internet Searching by K-12 Students: A Research-based Process Model VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 51 51

Queries by High School Students [H]igh school students struggle with conceptualizing the topic for their query, sometimes omitting required concepts.

52 Queries by High School Students [H]igh school students struggle with conceptualizing the topic for their query, sometimes omitting required concepts. Internet Searching by K-12 Students: A Research-based Process Model VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 52 52

Queries by College Students [S]earch engines generally performed poorly, a lack of computer skills and an inability to construct appropriate search statements limited [college] students'

53 Queries by College Students [S]earch engines generally performed poorly, a lack of computer skills and an inability to construct appropriate search statements limited [college] students' success. Nowicki, Stacy. Student vs. Search Engine: Undergraduates Rank Results for Relevance portal: Libraries and the Academy - Volume 3, Number 3, July 2003 VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 53 53

54 Can students craft a four-word query on the effects on climate change on global temperatures and sea levels worldwide? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 54 54

55 Why are WIKIPEDIA results ranked so highly? Why Search? Just Take Me to WikipediA. Is there a preference for WIKIPEDIA or other top level domains? VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 55 55

56 Yes! Google s authority-based algorithm is domain-centric. Google has focused on domain-trusting by pushing to the top of the results massive sites like Wikipedia that couldn t have been created by spammers. The Google Cache Google s New Algorithm: if($domain== wikipedia.org ){$rank=1;} VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 56 56

57 WIKIPEDIA A Most Important Domain VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 57 57

58 But this is not the answer! VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 58 58

59 The Remedy Given their popularity, knowing more about search engines is vital to understanding information I understand Google; I ll search for title pages with domain-limited Boolean queries. access in a digital age. The social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of search engines: An introduction. Hargittai, E., (2007). Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(3), article 1. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 59 59

60 Teach Students Advanced Search Syntaxes Advanced syntax users demonstrate search expertise that the majority of user population does not. They are: more adept at combining query operators to formulate powerful query statements and return more relevant results Not only were they more successful in their searching, they were consistently more successful. Investigating the Querying and Browsing Behavior of Advanced Search Engine Users research.microsoft.com/~ryenw/papers/whitesigir2007b.pdf VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 60 60

Searching: An Aid to Complex Reasoning Brain Activity from Internet Search The image on the left displays brain activity while reading a book; the image on the right displays activity while engaging

61 Searching: An Aid to Complex Reasoning Brain Activity from Internet Search The image on the left displays brain activity while reading a book; the image on the right displays activity while engaging in an Internet search. Internet searching engages complicated brain activity which may help improve brain function. [The] Web-savvy group registered activity in the areas of the brain which control decision-making and complex reasoning. UCLA study finds that searching the Internet increases brain function November 15, VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 61 61

62 Google Advanced Search Syntax Query intitle: climate change AND global temperatures AND sea levels AND site:gov This query will find results: from a.gov website, with climate change in the title of the webpage, and the phrases global temperatures AND sea levels on the webpage. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 62

the terms, global temperatures and sea levels in the

63 Google Advanced Search Syntax Results NOTE All results are.gov sites, with climate change in the titles, and the terms, global temperatures and sea levels in the webpage descriptions. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 63 63

64 From Google to the Library Databases Demonstrate that Google syntaxes and queries, with minor modification work in the proprietary databases and may provide more relevant sources. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 64 64

65 From Google to a Library Database Students can limit the search to the structure of the document. VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 65 65

66 Academic Journals VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 66 66

It works - minds can be changed! I modeled my presentation, Internet Privacy Laws are Necessary, for juniors (AP English 11) after the VEMA presentation. They searched their usual way.

67 It works - minds can be changed! I modeled my presentation, Internet Privacy Laws are Necessary, for juniors (AP English 11) after the VEMA presentation. They searched their usual way. Then I demonstrated a search using advanced search techniques. Then they searched using advanced search syntaxes. They narrowed their search results from one million to 55 and it was amazing how many hits were on target. Nancy Keenan; Library Media Specialist/Computer Coordinator Glenvar High School Salem, Virginia VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 67 67

68 Minds can be changed! I revised my lesson plan for teaching students how to search the Web and library databases. Students were frustrated using the Web; when we got to Gale and ABC-CLIO their amazement in the difference of the quality of information was priceless. One student researching working women of the 1930s said, I found much more in Student Resource Center. Lori Donovan, NBCT, Teacher-Librarian Thomas Dale High School Chester, Virginia VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 68 68

69 The Importance of Friends! Gang, the librarian is better than Google! VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 69 69

70 And the winner is VAASL 2012: Librarians as Leaders 70 70

How Google Works; Are Search Engines Really Dumb and Should Educators Care?

How Google Works; Are Search Engines Really Dumb and Should Educators Care? Longwood University Digital Commons @ Longwood University Summer Literacy Institute [2015] 12th Annual Summer Literacy Institute: Real Life Literacy Jul 24th, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM How Google Works; Are Search