Yes, agreed (though I must admit I assumed that most search engines would already do this).
The real problem with the Zip thing is that (I suspect) it discourages normal web linking behaviour (i.e. it tends to discourage people from creating lots of http URI links between stuff at a reasonably granular level) which is a major source of knowledge for the search engines.
??
Anyway, apologies for slightly side-tracking the discussion with what was admittedly a somewhat flippant remark.
Andy
--
Andy Powell
Research Programme Director
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________________________________________
From: The JISC CETIS MDR Special Interest Group [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Wilson [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 18 August 2010 21:05
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Your Ideas: What Could Search Engines Do (to Make Finding Educational Content Easier)?
Given that's how an awful lot of content has been developed and stored to date (and will be for some years), the obvious answer I would have thought would be to encourage engines to support selective indexing of the contents of Zip archives, for example through an extension to the Robots Exclusion Protocol.
On 18 Aug 2010, at 17:25, Paul Walk wrote:
> “don’t wrap all your content inside a ZIP file”
>
> +1
>
> Paul
>
> On 18 Aug 2010, at 17:16, Andy Powell wrote:
>
>> Wouldn’t it make more sense to ask “What can educational content providers do (to better expose their content to search engines)?”
>>
>> The current phrasing seems (to me) to be laying the blame in the wrong place!?
>>
>> I’d start with, “don’t wrap all your content inside a ZIP file”... :-)
>>
>> Andy
>>
>> --
>> Andy Powell
>> Research Programme Director
>> Eduserv
>> t: 01225 474319
>> m: 07989 476710
>> twitter: @andypowe11
>> blog: efoundations.typepad.com
>>
>> www.eduserv.org.uk
>>
>> From: The JISC CETIS MDR Special Interest Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Daniel Rehak
>> Sent: 18 August 2010 16:04
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Your Ideas: What Could Search Engines Do (to Make Finding Educational Content Easier)?
>>
>> Hi Folks
>>
>> The Learning Registry activity (http://www.learningregistry.org/) is soliciting public input on what a commercial search engine could do to help find learning content.
>>
>> General information about the request is at:
>> http://www.learningregistry.org/news/yourideaswhatcouldsearchenginesdotomakefindingeducationalcontenteasier
>>
>> The public information gathering is at:
>> http://learningregistry.ideascale.com/a/ideafactory.do?id=9751&mode=top&discussionFilter=byids&discussionID=23856
>>
>> We're hoping to get a good set of input before the end of August.
>> Please help. Thanks.
>>
>> Cheers.
>> - Dan
>>
>>
>> --
>> Daniel R. Rehak, Ph.D.
>>
>> ADL Technical Advisor
>> Skype: drrehak
>> Email: [log in to unmask]
>> [log in to unmask]
>> Twitter: @danielrehak
>> Web: learningregistry.org
>> adlnet.gov
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>> Tel: +1 412 931 7317
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>> Mob: +1 412 805 7683
>
> --------------------------------------------
> Paul Walk
> Deputy Director
> UKOLN (University of Bath)
> http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
> [log in to unmask]
> +44(0)1225383933
> --------------------------------------------
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