With the whole internet glued to Apple Inc, Google have made use of that time by acquiring Metaweb, a web search company destined to make your search results more accurate.
Instead of using search terms, Metaweb's method of search works by linking together 'entities', an expansive list of 'things' on the web like people and places, each of which have other pieces of web content (videos, lyrics, blog posts etc.) associated with them, displayed right there on their page. So when a user searches for, say, a famous actor, instead of being hit with a wave of hit-and-miss search results, users are taken to a page listing details like starring roles, award nominations, misguided forays into the music business etc.
Unlike Wikipedia, however, all the information on that page is then linked to other entities, so in the award section you'll find links to all the other actors nominated for the same awards that year, and so on and so forth.
In addition to Metaweb's search ideas, Google is excited about the possibilities for Freebase, Metaweb’s free and open database of over 12 million things, including movies, books, TV shows, celebrities, locations, companies and more.
Google and Metaweb plan to maintain Freebase as a free and open database for the world.
Quoting Google: The web isn’t merely words—it’s information about things in the real world, and understanding the relationships between real-world entities can help us deliver relevant information more quickly.
This acquisition means users will be able to get more relevant answers to their questions rather than some close hits and misses which waste your precious time and leave you frustrated.
...we’re just beginning to apply our understanding of the web to make search better. Type [barack obama birthday] in the search box and see the answer right at the top of the page. Or search for [events in San Jose] and see a list of specific events and dates. We can offer this kind of experience because we understand facts about real people and real events out in the world. But what about [colleges on the west coast with tuition under $30,000] or [actors over 40 who have won at least one oscar]? These are hard questions, and we’ve acquired Metaweb because we believe working together we’ll be able to provide better answers.
Although the deal is in place, there hasn't been any 'visual' progress to it. And it won't be known either until the "coming months".
Google and Freebase together aim to "deliver new and innovative ways to make the web smarter by linking content with entities."
Watch this excellent (and fun) video below to understand more.
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