October 27, 2003
Amazon unveiled a new search service last week, including a keyword search that returns text snippets from pages of some 120, 000 books listed on Amazon.com. It seems that Amazon's association with a search start-up - iconically named: "A9" - is now bearing fruits. Besides the enigma surrounding A9 (later confirmed to be Amazon's own e-commerce search subsidiary), and Guttenbergesque innovative spirit of this move, what is more pertinent is the fact that online businesses have started paying attention to content leverage and content harvesting. This also marks a new beginning where information and content assets of a an organization would once again be valued as importantly as its marketing and sales message. What a journey! - from "content is king" to "will any body pay for content?" to "content leverage".
New Amazon Book Search: An Experiment in Content Leverage
This search services by Amazon needs to be understood beyond its search-engine-gold-ruch value as a recognition of the power of content leverage. Amazon seems to have understood that it can create its own content and build an association around it rather than just relying on being a pure online selling outfit. Amazon has had a history of trying to create its own content, its emphasis on reviews and review-rating schemes are cases in point.
It is becoming apparent that this service could be viewed by writers as a threat - a tool that reveals a little too much of a book to the reader. This perception of a threat is justified to some extent, as unless Amazon shares the proceeds of this content leverage with the writers/publishers through a paid service or some such thing, as a reader one could do some smart searches through books and read the text around the keywords and avoid reading the book itself.
But fact that many publishers have willingly agreed to expose the entire content of the books on Amazon, shows that there is a section of the publishing community that is willing to try out new methods to sell books.
Content Leverage: Beyond Search
The important message from this service is that online businesses, especially ones that are heavily information-oriented, need to rethink their search and content leverage strategies. In a way each of these businesses are sitting on some valuable information asset-pie that could be tapped into for actionable intelligence. Leveraging that information seems to be the only way to add competitive advantage.
It is equally important to understand that content leverage does not stop at search, search is just a method to retrieve some part of the information buried inside a content heap. Search metaphor begins the exploitation of content, leveraging the full potential may require methodologies, processes and software applications that involve text analysis and text mining.
Other related K-Praxis articles that talk about "content leverage":
Google + Sprinks : Consolidation in Contextual Advertising Market!
Location Based Search and Internet Yellow Pages: The Right Way Ahead