'Browsing, Grazing and Nibbling Persistent Data Structures'. 'The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques for the online search interface'. We may generalize and say that all people use metatheories as orienting strategies and that this is what direct our attention and also our browsing - also when we are not conscious about it. Sociologists thus use metatheories as orienting strategies. Textbooks in theory frequently focus on orienting strategies such as functionalism, exchange, or ethnomethodology. Similar to Kuhn’s paradigms, theories of this sort provide guidelines or strategies for understanding social phenomena and suggest the proper orientation of the theorist to these phenomena they are orienting strategies. It is discussion about theory: about what concepts it should include, about how those concepts should be linked, and about how theory should be studied. They find that orienting strategies should be understood as metatheories: 'Consider the very large proportion of sociological theory that is in the form of metatheory. Some sociologists (Berger & Zelditch, 1993 Wagner,1984 Wagner & Berger, 1985) have used the term “orienting strategies”. When it comes to Browsing, giblets are amazing.' Browsing strategies demand a lower cognitive load in advance and a steadier attentional load throughout the information-seeking process. Analytic strategies are batch oriented and half duplex (turn talking) like human conversation, whereas browsing strategies are more interactive, real-time exchanges and collaborations between the information seeker and the information system.

Browsing strategies are heuristic and opportunistic and depend on recognizing relevant information. Analytical strategies depend on careful planning, the recall of query terms, and iterative query reformulations and examinations of results. Marchionini (1997, p. 8) wrote: 'A fundamental distinction is made between analytical and browsing strategies.

Therefore, browsing is not totally random.īrowsing versus analytical search strategies

We may dynamically change our theories and conceptions but when we browse, the activity is governed by the interests, conceptions, priorities and metatheories that we have at that time. Hjørland (2011a) suggests, however, that browsing is an activity that is governed by our metatheories. , for example, has this definition: 'to glance at random through a book, magazine, etc.'. In short: Human browsing is based on our conceptions and interests.īrowsing is often understood as a random activity. According to Hjørland (2011a), on the other hand, Marcia Bates' browsing for information about browsing is governed by her behavioral assumptions, while Hjørland's browsing for information about browsing is governed by his socio-cultural understanding of human psychology. Bates found that browsing is rooted in our history as exploratory, motile animals hunting for food and nesting opportunities. Marcia Bates (2007) researched browsing from 'behavioural' approaches, while Hjørland (2011a+b) defended a social view. It is a kind of orienting strategy that is formed by our 'theories', 'expectations' and 'subjectivity'.Īs with any kind of human psychology, browsing can be understood in biological, behavioral, or cognitive terms on the one hand or in social, historical, and cultural terms on the other hand.

Hjørland (2011b) provided the following definition: ' Browsing is a quick examination of the relevance of a number of objects which may or may not lead to a closer examination or acquisition/selection of (some of) these objects.

3 Browsing versus analytical search strategies.

Browse meaning