Mar192008

Google Is Updating Their Technical Fiddly Bits

I just went in to add a listing to Google Local today and, instead of seeing the normal page, apparently Google is working on things and I was presented with this page:

(click on image to enlarge)

It reads:

The Google Local Business Center is unavailable for the next hour

We appreciate your patience as we perform some routine system maintenance.

More specifically, we’re updating ‘the backend’ (to employ that catchy, catchall moniker coined and lent to us by engineering folks who work on all of the technical fiddly bits behind the scenes but know we communications folks can’t very well say ‘We’re updating all of the technical fiddly bits behind the scenes’ and expect you, an enlightened Google user, to take us seriously or at least not wonder aloud ‘ Wait, what sort of bits were those again?’).

So please check back in sixty minutes. Maybe less, considering the time you’ve invested in deciphering this message.

Backend… heh heh heh…

Check it,
—kid disco

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3 pimp-style comments, so far... »

David

March 21 2008 @ 8:30 am

Yes, apparently they have some sort of patent on a tool that helps them fill in information that is missing from listings. I think they are doing an update that is helping the spider the web for missing info on their listings.
kid disco

March 21 2008 @ 10:14 am

@ David - I believe you are talking about this patent application:

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacg.....0080065694

A local search server receives queries for information about businesses from clients. The local search server searches a local information database for information about a business and reports the information about the business to the client that requested it.

Sometimes, the database lacks complete information for the business. For example, the database might be missing the street number for the business.

The local search server obtains the missing information by interfacing with a search engine and searching for hosted documents about the business.

The local search server receives snippets of text from the documents. The local search server applies one or more heuristics to the text snippets to determine the missing information. The missing information is saved in the local information database.

Bill Slawski has written more about it here:

http://www.seobythesea.com/?p=1022
xueqi

March 28 2008 @ 5:38 am

Thank you very much for the article, I feel very good