Comments on: BlueScape Search: A Half-Baked Solution In Search of a Problem http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss Conversations about the real estate industry, marketing, technology, and public policy Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:48:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Graeme http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2781 Graeme Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:26:44 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2781 Interesting... I think it might be the first attempt at Web 3.0 in real estate, but if so, they missed the point. The point is to bring relevent content to consumers naturally, not hide it behind a flash app. If they see me online, looking at 'pricey' homes with 'beaches' (based on tags or similar photos) and then they automatically presented further relevant listings 'in my area', then we are talking! Interesting… I think it might be the first attempt at Web 3.0 in real estate, but if so, they missed the point. The point is to bring relevent content to consumers naturally, not hide it behind a flash app. If they see me online, looking at 'pricey' homes with 'beaches' (based on tags or similar photos) and then they automatically presented further relevant listings 'in my area', then we are talking!

]]> By: Graeme http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2416 Graeme Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:26:44 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2416 Interesting... I think it might be the first attempt at Web 3.0 in real estate, but if so, they missed the point. The point is to bring relevent content to consumers naturally, not hide it behind a flash app. If they see me online, looking at 'pricey' homes with 'beaches' (based on tags or similar photos) and then they automatically presented further relevant listings 'in my area', then we are talking! Interesting… I think it might be the first attempt at Web 3.0 in real estate, but if so, they missed the point. The point is to bring relevent content to consumers naturally, not hide it behind a flash app. If they see me online, looking at 'pricey' homes with 'beaches' (based on tags or similar photos) and then they automatically presented further relevant listings 'in my area', then we are talking!

]]> By: The 9 Most Significant Real Estate Tech/Marketing Moments of 2009 | Online Real Estate 101 http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2246 The 9 Most Significant Real Estate Tech/Marketing Moments of 2009 | Online Real Estate 101 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:13:48 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2246 [...] criticizing the search as being a “half-baked solution in search of a problem”. The rest of Rob’s article is well worth reading when you have 15-30 minutes to take it all [...] [...] criticizing the search as being a “half-baked solution in search of a problem”. The rest of Rob’s article is well worth reading when you have 15-30 minutes to take it all [...]

]]> By: Maria T Pruitt http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2182 Maria T Pruitt Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:42:15 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2182 I was also disturbed by the fact that you cannot move the floating photos around. <BR><BR>I noticed that each time I visit the site to rate photos, I get new photos in place of ones I didn't like, but the ones I like stay in the rating queue. <BR><BR>I am curious as to what exactly I am rating about the photo. Whether or not I actually like the photograph itself? Like is it good composition? Is it something I'd hang on my wall? Whether I like the scene in the photograph? I rated the photos based on whether I liked the photo itself and I didn't particularly like the results it gave me. <BR><BR>I wonder if you have an account on the site, if they collect profile / personality data and that is some how tied into the profile they have of you - and affects your search results.</BR></BR></BR></BR></BR></BR> I was also disturbed by the fact that you cannot move the floating photos around.

I noticed that each time I visit the site to rate photos, I get new photos in place of ones I didn't like, but the ones I like stay in the rating queue.

I am curious as to what exactly I am rating about the photo. Whether or not I actually like the photograph itself? Like is it good composition? Is it something I'd hang on my wall? Whether I like the scene in the photograph? I rated the photos based on whether I liked the photo itself and I didn't particularly like the results it gave me.

I wonder if you have an account on the site, if they collect profile / personality data and that is some how tied into the profile they have of you – and affects your search results.

]]> By: mcohenmn http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2179 mcohenmn Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:19:13 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2179 When I heard about the BlueScape search I first thought it would be something else entirely - showing pictures of *homes* or *neighborhoods* to ascertain preferences using tags/metadata. I figured they would be using relevant pictures so that regardless of the search criteria a user normally entered (apartments, urban neighborhoods) they seemed to prefer pictures of suburban homes and neighborhoods and always liked two story Victorian homes and never ranch-style houses and the search would be sensibly adjusted to reflect that. I thought this type of technology would be used to supplement existing structured search. I guess I was wrong, and like you, I don't understand what problem they are trying to solve with this implementation. When I heard about the BlueScape search I first thought it would be something else entirely – showing pictures of *homes* or *neighborhoods* to ascertain preferences using tags/metadata. I figured they would be using relevant pictures so that regardless of the search criteria a user normally entered (apartments, urban neighborhoods) they seemed to prefer pictures of suburban homes and neighborhoods and always liked two story Victorian homes and never ranch-style houses and the search would be sensibly adjusted to reflect that. I thought this type of technology would be used to supplement existing structured search. I guess I was wrong, and like you, I don't understand what problem they are trying to solve with this implementation.

]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2178 uberVU - social comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:43:23 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2178 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by RESuperNews: BlueScape Search: A Half-Baked Solution In Search of a Problem: Coldwell Banker just released its beta site (beta.c... http://bit.ly/5y9GWx... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by RESuperNews: BlueScape Search: A Half-Baked Solution In Search of a Problem: Coldwell Banker just released its beta site (beta.c… http://bit.ly/5y9GWx...

]]> By: Kristen Carr http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2177 Kristen Carr Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:36:44 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2177 Read your post - which rocked, BTW. I did the BlueScape search as well and also got the Terrell, TX prop. My guess is you can select the images now (in the Beta version) but the results are canned. Anyone who knows me knows I selected beach/water/warm pics - nothing near Dallas, I promise! Read your post – which rocked, BTW. I did the BlueScape search as well and also got the Terrell, TX prop. My guess is you can select the images now (in the Beta version) but the results are canned. Anyone who knows me knows I selected beach/water/warm pics – nothing near Dallas, I promise!

]]> By: Greg_S http://www.notorious-rob.com/2009/12/04/bluescape-search-a-half-baked-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/#comment-2176 Greg_S Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:51:08 +0000 http://www.notorious-rob.com/?p=1541#comment-2176 "The whole BlueScape Search thing has the feel of someone at Coldwell Banker seeing a cool Flash module for showing photos online and trying to find a way to justify putting it online. "<br><br>Nailed it.<br><br>An example of a marketing person driving a business decision without considering the business problem. My guess is they are trying to figure out why there aren't many searches on their site and tried to come up with a unique way to "improve" that problem. The real problem is they have too few listings. You probably were shown a house near Dallas because they don't have any listings near the Gulf. If they didn't make their IDX listings so hard to reach on their current site and actually showed more listings they would solve their problem without having to field a cumbersome part Pandora/Tivo/Trulia mashup. It doesn't look like they connected their IDX listings to this either. “The whole BlueScape Search thing has the feel of someone at Coldwell Banker seeing a cool Flash module for showing photos online and trying to find a way to justify putting it online. “

Nailed it.

An example of a marketing person driving a business decision without considering the business problem. My guess is they are trying to figure out why there aren't many searches on their site and tried to come up with a unique way to “improve” that problem. The real problem is they have too few listings. You probably were shown a house near Dallas because they don't have any listings near the Gulf. If they didn't make their IDX listings so hard to reach on their current site and actually showed more listings they would solve their problem without having to field a cumbersome part Pandora/Tivo/Trulia mashup. It doesn't look like they connected their IDX listings to this either.

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