6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising: storing target data concerning a target value for how often explicit feedback should be collected for searches; and allowing explicit feedback to be collected only if collecting the explicit feedback would not result in exceeding said target value for how often explicit feedback is collected.
4. A method for improving performance of a search mechanism, wherein the search mechanism includes a browser based on context-based user feedback data, said method comprising: monitoring of said search mechanism for user behavior data regarding an interaction of a user with the browser to detect an event; providing the event as input to a state machine, the state machine comprising a plurality of states, each state corresponding to a state of user interaction with the browser and a state transition function, the state transition function mapping a first state and the event to a second state, whereupon the event causes a transition of the state machine from a current state to a new state based upon the event and the state transition function; determining context information based upon the new state of the state machine; determining implicit user feedback data based upon the transition from the current state to the new state, wherein the implicit user feedback data reflects user behavior during a search and includes user behavior while visiting a result list page, user behavior while exploring a hyperlinik on a result list page, user behavior for visiting a result item page or result item ignore behavior; determining if a snooze request specifying a time period to suspend collection of explicit feedback data is in effect from said user, and, if not, collecting explicit feedback data from the user; identifying at least one non-selected search result that is generated by the search mechanism as part of said search but that is not selected by the user; acquiring explicit user feedback data describing said search by submitting one or more questions to the user regarding explicit reasons why the non-selected search result failed to correspond to the search, said explicit user feedback data comprising information regarding an extent to which a search result corresponds to a search request; using the implicit user feedback data and the explicit user feedback data in light of the context information to identify a problem with the search mechanism; and correcting the problem to improve performance of the search mechanism.