1.2 Major terms

In this thesis the following expressions will be used: search engines, search engine dependency, data quality, Web 2.0 and following versions.

Search engine is the most flexible technology which has been created in order to browse the web. A search engine is no more than a web application which is processing information. It does not create data it just process some information it has in his index.

"A search engine is simply a means to ask information on the Web, a system for organizing the data held on the Internet. A search engine can be metaphorically

compared to several activities: a miner panning for gold, a clerk looking for a document in a cabinet…" (Friedman, B. G. (2004). Web search savvy. p.19)

Search engine dependency is the fact that Internet users use a single search engine when looking for information on the Internet. This dependency can be created from different factors such as loyalty, patriotism or convenience.

Data quality is the quality of data. Data are of high quality "if they are fit for their intended uses in operations, decision making and planning" (Juran, J. (1999). Juran’s quality handbook: Fifth edition. p.976). Alternatively, the data are deemed of high quality if they correctly represent the real-world construct to which they refer. These two views can often be in disagreement, even about the same set of data used for the same purpose. (Kaplan, I. (2008). Bad Data Can Cost You Big Time.)

Web 2.0 and following versions are not the name of a specific software or technology. As an example Web 2.0 is an online movement that encourages users to participate in the fresh, interactive nature of the Internet by using widely available, less expensive, and more mature state-of-the-art technologies. (Meyerson, M./Scarborough, M. E. (2007). Mastering Online Marketing. P.223)