Communications of the ACM
Editorial pointers
Editorial Pointers
Online search is part of daily life, with popular search engines and digital libraries typically supporting users best able to define their information needs. The hitch comes when those needs are sketchy or the knowledge necessary is absent. How do users find the information they need if they don't know it exists? How do they formulate an effective query? How do they steer their way through a complex site to find what they are looking for?
The answers may lie in a new wave of R&D efforts to improve search interfaces and tools, design new ones, and create more effective exploration strategies. This wave, billed as exploratory search, is gathering momentum among a growing number of communities, including information retrieval, user interface design, library science, information visualization, and more. As guest editors Ryen White, Bill Kules, Steven Drucker, and m.c. schraefel contend, search tools must evolve as user requirements evolve from using search for lookup to using it to learn, investigate, and explore.
Also in this issue, Li et al. detail the writeprint method for tracking online criminal activity by tracing an author's writing style to identify authors of online messages linked to cybercrime investigations. Nenad Jukic examines the various approaches to modeling a data warehouse. And Andrea Ordanini discusses the three key elementscontent, governance, and structurefor building a successful B2B marketplace.
Does color play a role in how we respond to an email message? Yes, according to Zviran et al., who claim different colors prompt different reactions. Vidal and Mulet wonder what the next generation of CAD systems will offer. And Enns et al. debunk the IT professional stereotype, urging HR professionals to do the same.
In "Viewpoint," Argamon and Olsen contend online access to the world's knowledge is only half the story, urging computer scientists to join the effort to add meaning to the emerging global digital library. In "The Profession of IT," Peter Denning describes how to assemble hastily formed networks in response to disaster relief and emergencies. In "Digital Village," Hal Berghel tells some compelling phish tales that help hook online schemers. And David Patterson ("President's Letter") and Lauren Weinstein ("Inside Risks") share some razor-sharp observations, taking April Fool's Day to heart.
Diane Crawford
Editor
©2006 ACM 0001-0782/06/0400 $5.00
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