About wise searching from Searchwise's and About.Com's Chris Sherman

Vol. 8, No. 7 • July/August 2000

About wise searching from Searchwise's and About.Com's Chris Sherman
by Gary Price

WEBMASTERY column interviews Internet search expert and Web publisher Chris Sherman. Relates that Sherman is the person behind the important and useful About.com Web Searching site, and also writes for several industry trade publications. Says that he started at About.com as a Guide, and started Searchwise shortly thereafter as a consulting business to complement the About.com work. Sherman states that if he could build the perfect search tool, he would look at the problem-solving behaviors and techniques used by experts in various fields, and then figure out how to apply the knowledge and skills that make them successful to the design of a search engine. Discusses several subjects, including standards, meta search tools, free versus advertiser-supported information, and more. Speculates on some of the topics that will be discussed on the About.com Web Search site five years from now. Includes one photo.