Breakthrough Search Engine Developed By PaintingsDIRECT.com; Customer Feedback Leads to Innovative Tool for Browsing Through Images.Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 2000 PaintingsDIRECT.com had a happy problem. Visitors were buying paintings --- lots of them. As word spread, more artists from all over the world wanted their work on the site. Since there are no space limitations in cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. , more were added. More art makes the site even richer and more diverse, which customers loved. There was only one problem: browsing See browse. through thousands of artworks This article is about the software drawing application. For art objects, see work of art. ArtWorks is an advanced vector drawing package for RISC OS created by Computer Concepts (now Xara) in 1991. It has been developed by MW Software since 1996. was beginning to take a very long time. What to do? PaintingsDIRECT.com could start limiting the selection - something they were totally opposed to-or, they could make it easier for visitors to find what they want. Christine Bourron, the founder and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , and her team came up with the solution. They developed a new search engine they call "SmartCAT" (Smart Category Search Engine http://www.paintingsdirect.com/bin/smartcat.cgi ), which allows users to search through a large database of images in an easy and extremely efficient manner. This refined search tool for querying and displaying records in a database will be used for the first time anywhere when it launches this week on PaintingsDIRECT.com. After reading the first results of customer research on the new engine, Ms. Bourron realized that the tool was a breakthrough in terms of increasing convenience for the user. The feedback was so positive, and the potential for other applications on the Internet so great, that she decided to patent the invention. PaintingsDIRECT.com now has a patent pending on "SmartCAT". "With growth comes challenge," said Ms. Bourron. "We didn't set out to invent a new search engine. We simply listened to our customers' feedback and realized that we needed a new process to provide them with a more precise and enjoyable viewing experience. Since it didn't exist, we developed it." The premier Web site for original art, PaintingsDIRECT.com has enjoyed kudos from Web site connoisseurs for their user-friendly site. Visitors can browse (1) To view the contents of a file or a group of files. Browser programs generally let you view data by scrolling through the documents or databases. In a database program, the browse mode often lets you edit the data. See Web browser. the extensive database using a variety of criteria, including artist name, painting theme, key subject word, color, style, technique, medium, size and price. "SmartCAT" has further refined the process. For example, a user might select cityscapes as a theme. When the initial result (in this case, 633 cityscapes) is too large to view within 2 mouse clicks, "SmartCAT" will automatically group the results by style: - 251 realist re·al·ist n. 1. One who is inclined to literal truth and pragmatism. 2. A practitioner of artistic or philosophic realism. Noun 1. cityscapes, 156 impressionist cityscapes, 75 abstract cityscapes, etc. Each group is illustrated by one randomly-selected image of that style. Now, the user can proceed in 1 of 3 ways: - "Drill down" into one of the style groups, further refining refining, any of various processes for separating impurities from crude or semifinished materials. It includes the finer processes of metallurgy, the fractional distillation of petroleum into its commercial products, and the purifying of cane, beet, and maple sugar the search engine's breakdown with additional criteria such as color, price, etc. - Reorganize re·or·gan·ize v. re·or·gan·ized, re·or·gan·iz·ing, re·or·gan·iz·es v.tr. To organize again or anew. v.intr. To undergo or effect changes in organization. the results of the search. For example, if the user is especially interested in cityscapes by French artists, or cityscapes under $500, one click of the mouse will regroup re·group v. re·grouped, re·group·ing, re·groups v.tr. To arrange in a new grouping. v.intr. 1. To come back together in a tactical formation, as after a dispersal in a retreat. the cityscapes by country of origin, or by price, so the user can quickly home in on the artworks he wants. - View a sequential listing of all 633 cityscape (company) CityScape - A re-seller of Internet connections to the PIPEX backbone. E-Mail: <sales@cityscape.co.uk>. Address: CityScape Internet Services, 59 Wycliffe Rd., Cambridge, CB1 3JE, England. Telephone: +44 (1223) 566 950. images. The user can repeat these steps, continuing to narrow and reorganize the search. Along the way, as the user discovers paintings they like, they can place them in "MyGallery," another new feature on PaintingsDIRECT.com which allows viewers to place artworks in a customized area where they can add their comments and come back to review their favorites at any time. About PaintingsDIRECT.com Online since 1998, PaintingsDIRECT.com was founded by 33-year old French entrepreneur Christine Bourron, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and The Lauder Institute The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies (The Lauder Institute) is part of a dual degree program at the University of Pennsylvania, combining a MA in International Studies at the School of Arts & Sciences and an MBA at The Wharton School. . The site offers original works of art by emerging and established artists from all over the world, and detailed information on the artist and the paintings is instantly available. The first Web site to offer custom framing for original artwork, visitors can preview their paintings in an extensive collection of frames and even compare it to scale next to a human figure. PaintingsDIRECT.com offers a 10-day full refund policy to customers. For more information, see http://www.paintingsdirect.com/smartcat.html |
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