2011 Volume 28 Issue 4 Pages 4_196-4_205
We propose novel search system that uses both hyperlinks and social links and thus combines the merits of searching and social communication. A user can quickly search for not only web pages but also for other users currently accessing those pages. Each URL on the search engine results page is annotated with the number of real-time users. By using these links, a user can communicate with other real-time users who may have more knowledge about the topic of the linked page. All linked pages provide a window for sending queries in real time and for communicating with other real-time users. The window also shows a log of previous communications through that page, enabling a user to see if a similar query was previously sent and answered, which would obviate the need to send it again. In this paper, we describe the design and algorithm of our proposed system for the implementation of those functions.