| The limit of search engines | |
| The difference lies in the quality of the reference | Today most information is available. Yet, the reader does not always find the information (s)he needs. To find information, a reader uses either a search engine or the reader browses through metadata. The main difference between search engines and metadata lies in the quality of the links. A search engine offers you a lot of results, yet quite a few of the results refer to unusable information. Metadata cover only a small part of the available information yet the links refer to very useful information. Search engines are limited because search engines have no need for information. Because search eninges have no need for information, search engines cannot determine the usefulness of information. Try it out! Go to Google and go to the Open Directory Project. Search both on a topic of your interest. Compare the results. Try this for concrete information and a 'wider' subject. This will give you a good idea on the differences between search engines and metadata. Metadata are the right compensation to overcome the weakness of search engines. |
| Compensation, not competition |
Metadata and search engines are not excluding one another. Most sophisticated search engines on the internet are already using resources like the Open Directory Project to determine what information is useful. Open Directory Project editors are constructing their metadata using results from the (web crawlers of) search engines. Search engines and metadata can boost the strength of each other. |