Bing predicts 48.1% Yes, 51.9% No. Based on user searches in the past 6 months.
bing.com/search?q=Scotland+Referendum&mkt...
bing.comPosted Sep 17, 2014, 9:14 AM UTC
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bing.comWho gives a shit about what Bing say? The only prediction I will be paying any attention to is Alta Vista's.
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I'm interested in hearing what Jeeves thinks.
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Jeeves is pro-establishment, think he went to oxford with david cameron etc
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For me it's LYCOS or I've got no business to do with you.
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Who the fuck uses bing apart from the video search engine to look for porn?
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Is Bing really that good for porn?
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Yes because in bing videos section you can specify exactly the video length and quality that you want and it will give it to you.
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Jesus, who specifies the length of their porn.
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[deleted]
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Porn over 20 second long is wasted on me.
I'm efficient.
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you've never did the countdown challenge?
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chronofetishists.
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It's ridiculously good.
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I was going to say me till I finished reading your sentence.
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I use it all the time.
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Surely at this point it's well known that the more heavy-internet-using Scots are younger and more Yes-leaning. Trying to predict a result based on internet activity seems like it either assumes that all demographic groups use the internet equally, or that they're able to correctly model the less-heavy-users based on the activity of the younger users.
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Exactly this. For me, personally, what this means is that it will be a landslide no.
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no chance, Id bet my house that its not a landslide no.. landslide yes probably... slim no is my fear.
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I suggest you read the blog post: http://blogs.bing.com/uk/2014/09/03/bing-predicts-forecasts-the-scottish-independence-referendum-in-uk-test/
They likely have factored in age demographics and applied that to the age demographics of the voting population.
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I have read it, but it doesn't answer my question. Even if they realise that old people make up only a small proportion of their users but a large proportion of the electorate and account for that, there is still the problem that internet-active old people are not representative of the wider demographic group which will vote.
They must be aware of this, and they obviously believe they have solved it. But that blog post doesn't explain how. So I'm curious.
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This is an interesting new method.
Bing though, so will be skewed in favour of people over 50 who just use IE's default search engine.. Because why else would anyone use bing?
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I use bing video search
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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As much as I hate to say it, I have a big feeling that the outcome will be NO :(
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It will be, by miles.
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I hope so. Or a yes vote by miles. I hate the idea that such a decision is going to pretty much exactly split the country.
the glass is half full bunch will vote Yes, the glass is half empty bunch will vote No, and the glass is half disappointed bunch will be us as a nation
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[deleted]
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Stop trying to make bing happen. It's not going to happen.
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Interesting, given that Bing is probably most popular among the 40+ demographic.
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And for those searching for porn ...so I'm told
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Interesting Venn diagram there
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"probably" would be wrong. Its the default engine on all Windows Phone and the XBOX One.
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I was actually wondering yesterday if they could use Facebook to do some kind of prediction. I watched a Ted talk a while back where they can pull total random information about users based on what they like. Even if they hadn't liked anything related to it.
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They seem to be using data from social networks, too. From their blog explaining their methodology:
For the prediction, we start with the trends and sentiment determined from the web and social data, and we then adjust for biases and try to understand the true opinion expressed by a population most representing the actual voters themselves.
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Oops. Classic didn't read the article before commenting moment, sorry. I was just quickly browsing during a rare quiet moment at work. Interesting though!
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Bollocks. Is what I think personally.
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Could someone combine the bing one and the Google one posted yesterday to have a better scope? Google one had a 300,000 sample
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Bing is skewed toward the older generation and computer illiterate, due to the fact they will use whatever is the default search engine in the default browser on their computer.
Just sayin'. Averaging out over Google AND Bing would yield a more accurate result.
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Bing couldn't search out a pet in a pet shop. Why are so many Yes supporters getting unreasonably upset at this prediction? :P
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Another reason to dislike Bing.
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Bing got every result of the World Cup correct, except one group match.
It also gets it's information from the wider internet, Not the searches people do in it.
Nobody uses Bing
Does not discredit it.
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That must be based on about 10 user searches then.
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Tiny polling sample. Only 8 people use Bing.
I think the polling sample is accurate of the 40+ computer illiterate generation, who use Bing simply because it's the default search bar. This is a group that in previous polls have been 60/40 No. It could mean there's been a 10% swing across the entire population and we will see a large yes majority.
I'd love to see Google do this, they probably already know.
The 40+ generation dont use bing, they use Ask Jeeves because its the top one of of thier dozen toolbars
http://a.fod4.com/misc/1%20so%20cool%20kid%20fan.gif
I'm so fed up with all this unwarranted negativity and misinformation about Bing. I use it for my porn searches so that's at least 9 active users.
I was already counting you as one of the 8. By the way (as I could see you were having trouble), it's spelled "feltching".
Plot twist: they're all Google employees