Lack of knowledge/ability? To avoid infringing patents (even accidentally)? Most users won't care? Not important in the problem domain?
Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
1–10 of 19 posts
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#2Why do you think they don't?
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#3Why do you think they don't?
Because the vast majority of users won't appreciate them. Also users like predictability, particularly in social sites. Clever heuristics are not predictable.
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#4Why do you think they don't?
In terms of cleverness for dealing with spam, perhaps most founders are playing a game whereby they are hoping to be acquired before spam becomes unmanageable using simple techniques.
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#5Why do you think they don't?
Because the vast majority of users won't appreciate them. Also users like predictability, particularly in social sites. Clever heuristics are not predictable.
Actually, I think pg was asking "on what do you base the theory that they don't use sophisticated algorithms?" rather than "why do YOU think that startups aren't using sophisticated algorithms?", but depending on the emphasis, it could go either way.
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because the vast majority of users won't appreciate them. Also users like predictability, particularly in social sites. Clever heuristics are not predictable.
Actually, I think pg was asking "on what do you base the theory that they don't use sophisticated algorithms?" rather than "why do YOU think that startups aren't using sophisticated algorithms?", but depending on the emphasis, it could go either way.
If they are using sophisticated algorithms, then they are using them behind the scenes. For example, such a startup might use sophisticated spam detection or a clever algorithm to get a performance boost.
This is different from a startup such as Google where PageRank is major breakthrough that is made obvious to everyone. We don't see many startups like Google in web 2.0. It seems that web 2.0 is more about harvesting people power and less about sophisticated algorithms.
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#7[deleted]
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I think pg was asking "on what do you base the theory that they don't use sophisticated algorithms?" rather than "why do YOU think that startups aren't using sophisticated algorithms?", but depending on the emphasis, it could go either way.
If they are using sophisticated algorithms, then they are using them behind the scenes. For example, such a startup might use sophisticated spam detection or a clever algorithm to get a performance boost. This is different from a startup such as Google where PageRank is major breakthrough that is made obvious to everyone. We don't see many startups like Google in web 2.0. It seems that web 2.0 is more about harvestin…
I bet most people aren't thinking about eigenvectors when they are looking at Google's search results. The user does not (and should not be made to) care about sophisticated algorithms; only utility counts (in business, of course, not in research.)
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
If they are using sophisticated algorithms, then they are using them behind the scenes. For example, such a startup might use sophisticated spam detection or a clever algorithm to get a performance boost. This is different from a startup such as Google where PageRank is major breakthrough that is made obvious to everyone. We don't see many startups like Google in web 2.0. It seems that web 2.0 is more about harvestin…
I bet most people aren't thinking about eigenvectors when they are looking at Google's search results. The user does not (and should not be made to) care about sophisticated algorithms; only utility counts (in business, of course, not in research.)
One can still ask the question though: of the startups acquired by major companies, how many of them use sophisticated algorithms?
Re: Why don't most web 2.0 startups use sophisticated algorithms?
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
I bet most people aren't thinking about eigenvectors when they are looking at Google's search results. The user does not (and should not be made to) care about sophisticated algorithms; only utility counts (in business, of course, not in research.)
One can still ask the question though: of the startups acquired by major companies, how many of them use sophisticated algorithms?
Depends on what you mean by a major company. Does a startup acquired by Cisco qualify? Or Intel? Or Yahoo, even, in some cases? I know of a few small acquisitions Google has made where they purchased the research technology and not the founders!