Background of Project Background of Project The Webs Missing Links: - PDF document

12/10/2009 Background of Project Background of Project The Web’s Missing Links: The Web’s Missing Links:  Two chapters in MIT Press edited book, Two chapters in MIT Press edited book, The Search Engine & Portal Industry The Search Engine & Portal Industry  “The Internet & American Business,” Aspray & Ceruzzi “The Internet & American Business,” Aspray & Ceruzzi  Software infrastructure chapter Software infrastructure chapter – – web, email, web, email, protocols protocols Thomas Haigh Thomas Haigh Thomas Haigh Thomas Haigh  Search and portals (“Web navigation business”) Search and portals (“Web navigation business”) The Haigh Group & University of Wisconsin, The Haigh Group & University of Wisconsin,  Contemporary history, somewhat journalistic Contemporary history, somewhat journalistic Milwaukee Milwaukee  Recounting of basic events from secondary sources Recounting of basic events from secondary sources thaigh@computer.org thaigh@computer.org  Focus on interplay between technology and business Focus on interplay between technology and business models models Business History Conference, June 2007 Business History Conference, June 2007 www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom Aims Aims Reconstruction of Technology Reconstruction of Technology Situate web with respect to other electronic Situate web with respect to other electronic 1. 1.  Commercialization of Internet infrastructure Commercialization of Internet infrastructure publishing technologies publishing technologies  What happens when an already “shaped” What happens when an already “shaped” And earlier Internet story And earlier Internet story  technology gets technology gets Tie together Tie together g 2. 2.  New uses  New uses New uses New uses  New “relevant social groups” New “relevant social groups” Web publishing economics Web publishing economics   New cultural meanings New cultural meanings Web navigation economics Web navigation economics   Thoughts at the back of my mind Thoughts at the back of my mind Technical choices built into web design Technical choices built into web design   VHS vs Beta, QWERTY vs. Dvorak? VHS vs Beta, QWERTY vs. Dvorak? – – Write analytical history from journalistic Write analytical history from journalistic 3. 3.  which is the net? which is the net? sources sources www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom Timeline of Developments Timeline of Developments 1991: Web introduced at CERN 1991: Web introduced at CERN  1993: Mosaic popularizes the Web 1993: Mosaic popularizes the Web  130 servers to 10,000 in 18 months 130 servers to 10,000 in 18 months  2: Narrative Overview 2: Narrative Overview 1993: First web crawlers 1993: First web crawlers  1994: Yahoo directory service founded 1994: Yahoo directory service founded  1995: AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, Infoseek & OpenText index web 1995: AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, Infoseek & OpenText index web , , y y , , , , p p  1995: Netscape IPO 1995: Netscape IPO   1996: Yahoo, Excite, Lycos & Infoseek IPOs 1996: Yahoo, Excite, Lycos & Infoseek IPOs 1998: Google, Inc. founded 1998: Google, Inc. founded  1999: Search firms converge on Portal model 1999: Search firms converge on Portal model  2000: Dot com crash signals end of easy money 2000: Dot com crash signals end of easy money  2000: Google starts selling AdWords 2000: Google starts selling AdWords   2004: Google IPO. 2004: Google IPO. Today: Google dominates search, Yahoo is primary U.S. Portal Today: Google dominates search, Yahoo is primary U.S. Portal  www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom 1

12/10/2009 Web Hosts Growth Web Hosts Growth Web Directories Web Directories  The Web As Its Own Catalog The Web As Its Own Catalog  Link directories are special Link directories are special- -purpose websites purpose websites  Yahoo is most successful Yahoo is most successful  Humans visit lots of websites Humans visit lots of websites  Find the best ones on a topic Find the best ones on a topic  Add them with topic code to a simple database Add them with topic code to a simple database  Directory listings are batch generated Directory listings are batch generated  Basically the yellow pages of the Internet Basically the yellow pages of the Internet  Businesses pay for prominent position Businesses pay for prominent position  Firms advertise to reach searchers Firms advertise to reach searchers www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom Yahoo, 1996 Yahoo, 1996 Search Engine Model Search Engine Model  Crawlers index the web Crawlers index the web  Technology already developed for ftp sites, gopher headings Technology already developed for ftp sites, gopher headings  Keywords entered by users are looked up in index Keywords entered by users are looked up in index  Index & search developed for online services, full text databases Index & search developed for online services, full text databases like OED like OED  Hard to do well! Hard to do well!  How to make money? How to make money?  Subscription model fails for Infoseek Subscription model fails for Infoseek  Standard for online databases like LEXIS Standard for online databases like LEXIS  Advertising supported Advertising supported  Popular keywords sold at a premium from 1995 Popular keywords sold at a premium from 1995  Also sell tech or services to other websites Also sell tech or services to other websites www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom AltaVista 1996 AltaVista 1996 Portals Portals  Internet navigation firms add content Internet navigation firms add content  Both Yahoo (directory) Both Yahoo (directory)  And Excite, Lycos & other search firms And Excite, Lycos & other search firms  Theory: add “stickiness” Theory: add “stickiness” – – be more like AOL be more like AOL  Good search sends users away quickly Good search sends users away quickly y q y q y y  Keep them around instead Keep them around instead  News, Weather & Horrorscopes News, Weather & Horrorscopes  Free email Free email  Shopping “malls” Shopping “malls”  They watch more banner advertisements They watch more banner advertisements  But unlike AOL aren’t online services But unlike AOL aren’t online services www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom 2

12/10/2009 AltaVista AltaVista Yahoo, 2000 Yahoo, 2000 2000 2000 www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom Influence of .com Boom Influence of .com Boom Portals Largely Wiped Out Portals Largely Wiped Out  Portals copy AOL with “strategic partnerships” Portals copy AOL with “strategic partnerships”  Had deemphasized search Had deemphasized search  with doomed startups with doomed startups  Full of advertising & paid results Full of advertising & paid results  E.g. “Exclusive CD retailer on Yahoo” E.g. “Exclusive CD retailer on Yahoo”  Swamped by search engine spam Swamped by search engine spam  Excite@home pays $780 million for online greeting  Excite@home pays $780 million for online greeting Excite@home pays $780 million for online greeting Excite@home pays $780 million for online greeting  Little investment in improvements Little investment in improvements card company card company  Crippled when easy money dries up in Crippled when easy money dries up in  Companies valued on number of visitors Companies valued on number of visitors   Institutional Ismophism Institutional Ismophism – – companies copying companies copying 2001 2001 each other each other  By 2003 Yahoo is only significant non By 2003 Yahoo is only significant non- -ISP ISP   Need rising numbers to justify valuation Need rising numbers to justify valuation portal portal  YHOO stock rises 100 times in 4 years from IPO YHOO stock rises 100 times in 4 years from IPO  AOL and MSN retain online service portals AOL and MSN retain online service portals  Lycos (# 3 portal) sold for $12.5 billion in 2000 Lycos (# 3 portal) sold for $12.5 billion in 2000 www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom Why Was the Web Special? Why Was the Web Special? 3: Special Features of the 3: Special Features of the  Web is the first functional Web is the first functional Very large scale Very large scale  Web Web Highly distributed (no index or catalog) Highly distributed (no index or catalog)  Hypertext Hypertext  Electronic publishing system Electronic publishing system   So, how was it different from other electronic So, how was it different from other electronic publishing systems? publishing systems?  And how did this influence the web navigation And how did this influence the web navigation industry? industry? www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom www.tomandmaria.com/tom 3