Awash in misinformation

Power pole and evening sky

It takes little effort to find information these days.  Google is easy to use, and it almost always returns some results.  Unfortunately some of the time the information is wrong or not what you wanted.

Companies are spending fortunes trying to figure this out.

Most of the ideas revolve around an omnipresent search engine that gathers data that is already out there and serves it up in some useful way.

I would call that a top down solution.  It is trying to solve the problem with technology, programming, and as little local input as possible.

Recently I was writing a post, Not a nice gift from Canada, on my blog that I use to stay in touch with my Canadian roots.  I wanted the exact address of one our local fish markets.

A Google Search returned this “Insider Pages URL.”

Unfortunately the map was completely inaccurate.

A more accurate map is found at this link.

That came from a local Google map effort of my own.

There is an old rule about data that still holds true.  Garbage in, garbage out.  The challenge in providing good information is getting good quality data.

While large metropolitan areas might well have enough density and quality data to make some search engines very successful in providing information, I am not certain that it works as well in smaller or less well wired areas.

Actually a friend who had a key role in running the original Blacksburg Electronic Village and I are trying to do something of a bottoms up electronic village with local information entered and verified by locals.

It is a big challenge to make it work, but I think we have a very good chance.  The pieces are just being put together, but the Crystal Coast Electronic Village will have a consolidated area calendar for events, a business directory with maps at some point, blogs with pictures, and real estate listings already with maps.

Quite often the best solutions are those that involve people closest to the answers.  We will see if we can make it work.

Getting beyond an email’s title

When I worked for Apple Computer, I would get hundreds of emails a day.  It was a challenge to get through them.  Of the course of twenty years I am sure a few fell through the cracks, but mostly I was able to keep up with them.

I never succumbed to the read the first line and call it quits method of email management.  I did answer many questions from people who had not bothered to the read the whole email in the first place.

Depending on how I felt at a given time, I might copy and paste the originial email with the answers highlighted.  However, I did find that the worst offenders never noticed.

Lately I have seen an even more serious email management disease.  These folks read the title of an email and assume they know what it says.

That is not only highly risky but certainly not very productive.  A couple of responses that I have gotten from people trying this are beyond worthless.

I guess it is function of the desire to get ever more done with little focus on actually be productive.

I would rather do less and make certain that I get right whatever I do.