Making the Semantic Web Accessible to the Casual User

Google Tech Talks
June, 26 2008

ABSTRACT

The Semantic Web presents the vision of a distributed, dynamically growing knowledge base founded on formal logic. Common users, however, seem to have problems even with the simplest Boolean
expression. So how can we help users to query a web of logic that they do not seem to understand? One frequently proposed solution to address this problem is the use of natural language (NL) for
knowledge specification and querying. We propose to regard formal query languages and NL as two extremes of a continuum, where semistructured languages lie somewhere in the middle.

To evaluate what degree of structuredness casual users prefer, we introduce four query interfaces, each at a different point in the continuum, and evaluate the users' preference and their query performance in a study with 48 subjects. The results of the study reveal that while the users dislike the constraints of a fully
structured formal query language they also seem at a loss with the freedom of a full NLP approach. This suggests that restricted query languages will be preferred by casual users because of their
guidance effect, mirroring findings from social science theory on human activity in general.

Speaker: Prof. Bernstein
Abraham Bernstein is a full Professor at the Department of Information Technology (Institut für Informatik) of the University of Zurich. He conducts research on various aspects of supporting dynamic (intra- and inter-) organizational processes. His work draws from both social science (organizational psychology/sociology) and technical (computer science, artificial intelligence) foundations.

Before coming to Zurich he was an Assistant Professor, at the Information Systems Department in New York University's Stern School of Business, and received a Ph.D. at MIT's Sloan School of Management, where he worked with Prof. Thomas W. Malone at the Center for Coordination Science.

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[hardikgosar2908]

wwwww

[RackNineInc]

Making the Semantic Web Accessible to the Casual User is a noble goal,

So it is Making the Audio /Video Accessible to the Casual Viewer/Listener.

[MustNotRead]

43:30 "but when the users filled out the query, they got the results and it made them happy" looooololol - experiment fail! :0))))

watch the way he walks back to the podium...like "oh fuck!" hehe, classic.

[MustNotRead]

@EverybodysSenator

sound is fine here. maybe you have poor speakers? :)

[EverybodysSenator]

It is really unfortunate that all these GoogleTechTalks have POOR AUDIO I can never hear what they are saying....HINT: We can turn the volume down, but we can't turn it up to higher than high when you record it so low no one can hear it.

[scooobywhite]

I disagree...

[NPRCVI]

This is an example of Artificial Psycholinguistics. A certain architecture and hierarchical need for computers to interact with humans. Computer Science does make arrangements in natural language processing. To point out dominated information hyperlinking viewpoints, articulating a mechanism underllying the observed phenomena and viewpoint.

[braveknight213]

i truly did not pick up anything much from your lecture...you may have to organize your thoughts and topics in clear sequences...

[VincentBlouin]

15:17

[fabbio8888]

And OWLgle is not simply a personalizable menu (where you choose among given choice) but you make the system to interpret and populate your structure of the world.