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TrendSpot: The Rise of Human Search Filters

The Trend:The same perceived lack of structure on the web that originally led Jerry Yang to create the first Yahoo Internet Directory is causing one of the most prevalent trends online today, the rise of human search filters.  Search engines are getting more sophisticated as algorithms get refined for every new spammers trick – to … Read more

The Perfect Handbag

For a woman, the perfect handbag is an illusion worth chasing.  Handbags are not functionality, they are an expression of style and personality.  As a result, they are almost sacred.  From my numerous voluntary (and involuntary) discussions on the subject with many women, I have uncovered that there are five brands of handbags that are … Read more

Marketing to Mindsets

I had a chance to spend some time on the beta version of Yahoo Mindset, an intent driven search tool offering an interesting new model for search based on a user’s intent (or mindset) at the time of searching.  The engine poses two opposing ends of the spectrum: researching and shopping.  While one is a … Read more

Collective Voice and Blogs

The theory of an encyclopedia built through the collective contribution of thousands of laypersons seems to defy logic. After all, how can you rely on individuals to work together with relatively few rules in order to develop a common encyclopaedic view of the world?  But despite the obvious problems, Wikipedia works – an online measure … Read more

Google Adsense vs. Yahoo/Overture Sponsored Search – An Advertiser's Review

As an advertiser from an agency who has worked with both systems for more than a year now, placing multiple client campaigns, here’s my take on the good and bad of Google versus Overture (rebranded Yahoo): Google – What’s Good? Campaign can be started immediately without having to wait through a review cycle (except for … Read more

Contextual Advertising – The Cure for Database Poisoning

Whoever has the misfortune of the email address bob@bob.com definitely hates me.  If he exists, I’d like to apologize to him for the hundreds of sites that I’ve avoided providing my real details to by usurping his good name.  Of course, I also have my own email address set up just to register on sites … Read more

Are Bloggers the Historians of our Time?

This weekend I came across Joel Achenbach’s weekly article in the Washington Post Magazine on the topic of blogs.  In it, he satirically notes the growing influence of bloggers and blog culture on himself and his readers: I constantly tell myself: Ignore the blog. Do your work. You are an enormous literary figure and cultural … Read more

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Rohit is the author of 10 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

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