Google recently announced in its blog improvements in its search technology which shows that it is getting serious about semantic technology.  Semantic technology is considered by many to be the future of the Web.

In essence, semantic technology encodes meanings separately from data, content and application code.  Through this, software is supposed to be able to provide more intelligent and responsive interaction than with traditional informational technologies alone.

In the search space, the holy-grail of this “meaning-centered” approach is to enable so-called “natural language queries.”  This is the idea that you can ask natural questions or discuss things at a conceptual level as you would with another human-being and expect the search engine to understand you and provide relevant responses.  This is very different from how search is conducted currently where you basically search for keywords that you guess would be relevant to your topic.

In Google’s case, the new technology can apparently “better understand associations and concepts related to your search” – thus enabling Google to offer you even more useful related searches.  This will be presented as an expanded list of useful related searches and the addition of longer search result descriptions.

For more insight into the Semantic Web, check out this “Introduction for Noobs” by Manu Sporny below:

… and it’s getting local and becoming mobile.

A survey by WebVisible and Nielsen/NetRatings found that most consumers are becoming increasingly de-tuned from traditional advertising media and are instead relying on search engines and other online sources to find products and services from local businesses.

A majority of consumers apparently associate the trustworthiness of a business with the quality of its website. User-generated reviews, local news sites and social networks are other key influencers of consumer perceptions.

Consumers are also starting to use web-enabled mobile devices to access location- and time- specific product information. Such mobile access looks set to become an important driver for local commerce.

This particular survey was conducted in the USA, but a similar survey in Singapore would likely reveal similar trends. Anecdotal reports from many of our own small business contacts echo the increasingly important role that a strong web presence plays in a firm’s marketing effort.

Click here to download the full WebVisible report from GetEntrepreneurial.com (2.11MB PDF).

Over the past decade, Google has entrenched itself as the web’s best-known brand. There can be few web users who have not used Google’s core internet search service.

But have you ever wondered exactly what resources are required behind the scenes to keep Google’s various services humming along? A Cnet blogger reports on a presentation by a Google insider that reveals some of the fascinating inner workings of Google.

Most interestingly, Google ignores conventional server vendors and largely builds its own technology using ordinary components. It apparently prefers to build reliability on the software level rather than rely on expensive high-end fault tolerant hardware.

Firefox 3 is to be imbued with new and improved search capabilities according to Mitchell Baker, Chairman of the Mozilla Foundation – the browser’s developer. This latest version of the Firefox browser is currently undergoing beta testing.

One innovation will apparently be a tighter integration of the search function with the browser’s bookmarking tool to provide more relevant search results. The browser is also set to get more powerful offline features to buffer against patchy internet connectivity on the go.

These targeted improvements reflect the fact that search is the “number one activity” when people seek information online. The enhanced offline capability also mirrors the rise of Web Applications that can retain their functionality even if continuous internet connection is not possible.

You can find more details of the planned new features for Firefox 3 here.