Microsoft Search Champs: My Personal Report

I have finally pulled together my personal notes and some of the good shots taken last week at the Microsoft Search Champs event in Redmond. That was a hip, and absolutely fascinating happening with a unique group of very interesting people.

I yet can't read the crystall ball and tell you whether Microsoft has got a killer search app under the hood but it surely likes something "big" is moving.

 

 

My report surely lacks coverage of some of the best and most interesting things we saw on our second day there (devoted to some truly fascinating Microsoft Research efforts), but it covers a lot of what the Search Champs did and suggested as effective strategies to the MSN Search team during the first key day.

My work has been focused on reporting some of the issues and topics that touched me the most, namely the overall Microsoft strategy and the good ideas contributed by the Champs. But I am surely open to be criticized for having probably left too many other important things out. I acknowledge this openly, as I realized way too late how vast and complex was the amount of issues I had to cover to be fair and partial to all parties and issues involved.

There is a lot of personal reporting in my article too, as the human aspect of the event played a big role in my final perception of the overall event.
As a matter of fact this is more than anything else my personal recount and summary of this outstanding experience. What got printed in my nervous system is there.

On the other hand, if you are curious enough to want to see what Microsoft has been working on, rather than reading my convoluted memories, go and try out their MSN Search Tech Preview n.2 online now.

It isn't the flaming monster that we have seen under a tight non-disclosure agreement but it is good enough to give it a try.

There is also a good number of posts that many of the Search Champs have thereafter released online. I have tried to collect as many as I did find available and listed them at the end of this MSN Search Champs report.