The Matthew effect in Google search?

Google Instant: Quick, Quick, Quick–But Not Psychic
PC World
When Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a keynote address at the IFA show in Berlin yesterday, he talked about "a new definition of Google. ...

The Matthew effect (or "accumulated advantage") in sociology is the phenomenon where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer".^[1][2] Those who possess power and economic or social capital can leverage those resources to gain more power or capital. The term was first coined by sociologist Robert K. Merton in 1968 and takes its name from a line in the biblical Gospel of Matthew:

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

—Matthew 25:29, New Revised Standard Version.

谷歌对搜索结果呈现方式进行重大改变

Google unveils key update on searches

英国《金融时报》 理查德•沃特斯 旧金山报道

Google has unveiled changes to the way it presents search results in what it described as one of the most significant updates in its 12-year history.	谷歌(Google)宣布，已对其搜索结果呈现方式进行了改变，并将其描述为该公司12年历史上最重要的革新之一。
The new approach is intended to help users find results more quickly, though some search experts said that indirect changes to how users conduct their searches could also have a wider impact on the many businesses that advertise on Google or rely on traffic from the search engine.	此项新服务本意是帮助用户更加快速地找到结果。然而有搜索专家表示，对用户搜索方式的间接改变，将对许多在谷歌投放广告、或依赖谷歌搜索引擎流量的业务产生广泛的影响。
The new feature, called Google Instant, displays full search results as users type in queries, without waiting for them to finish typing or to hit “enter”. “It’s searching before you type – we’re predicting what query you’re likely to do and giving you results for that,” said Marissa Mayer, Google’s head of search products and user experience.	这一名为Google Instant的新功能，在用户键入问题的同时，即可显示完整的搜索结果，而不必等待输入完成或敲击“回车”。“搜索在输入之前就开始了——我们会预测你 可能会问的问题并提供相关结果”，谷歌搜索产品及用户体验主管梅里莎•梅尔(Marissa Mayer)表示。
The approach should shave two to five seconds off the average search, Ms Mayer said.	梅尔说，应用该方法，搜索时间平均应该可以削减2至5秒钟。
Sergey Brin, co-founder, said the technological advances that had contributed to the new feature highlighted “a little bit of a new dawn in computing”, as companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon experiment with new user interfaces to make it easier to find and use information.	谷歌联合创始人塞吉•布林(Sergey Brin)表示，帮助实现这项新功能的技术进步，突显了“信息处理新黎明的曙光”。包括谷歌、苹果(Apple)及亚马逊(Amazon)在内的多家公司都在尝试新的用户界面，使得信息搜寻和使用更为便捷。
Google said it could not yet determine how far Google Instant would change search behaviour, but some analysts said the impact of the launch could reverberate through the online economy that has built up around the Google search service. “It’s potentially enormously significant,” said Greg Sterling, a US search engine analyst. “Anything that changes the way people interact with search results will affect the many businesses that rely on search.”	谷歌表示，该公司还不能确定Google Instant将在多大程度上改变搜索行为，但一些分析师称，新功能的推出将会对围绕谷歌搜索服务建立起来的线上经济产生深远影响。“它有可能极其重要 ”，美国搜索引擎分析师格雷格•斯特林(Greg Sterling)说。“任何改变人们与搜索结果之间互动方式的产品，都将对众多依赖搜索的业务产生影响。”
He and other analysts said that search users could be drawn to the top results that Google returns as they type their queries, giving extra prominence to companies whose websites come out high in search results. By putting greater emphasis on the top results, the change could have important implications for any business that uses so-called search engine optimisation to try to gain prominence in search results, Mr Sterling said.	他和其他分析师表示，搜索用户在输入的同时，会看到谷歌发回的排名最前的结果，这将更为凸显那些搜索结果靠前的公司。斯特林表示，通过特别强调排名最靠前的结果，这一变化将对任何靠所谓“搜索引擎优化”而获得更高搜索结果排名的公司，产生重要的连带效应。
Google executives said the new feature should not change the search results that users eventually click on, since the underlying relevance algorithms used to determine the order in which results are shown had not changed.	谷歌高层表示，新功能不会改变用户最终会点击的结果，因为用以决定结果显示顺序的基本相关算法并未改变。
	译者/麦可林