Subscribe

Google shifts to social search

Kathryn McConnachie
By Kathryn McConnachie, Digital Media Editor at ITWeb.
Johannesburg, 11 Jan 2012

Google is continuing to ruffle feathers in the social networking space with its latest social search updates that foreground Google+ content.

The search giant announced yesterday that it would transform its search algorithm to cater for personalised content from its social platform.

Google fellow Amit Singhal says on the official Google blog that people and rich personal content have, until now, been missing from search results.

“We're transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships,” says Singhal.

As a result, Google has introduced three new features: personal results, profiles in search, and people and pages.

Personal results will show only a user's own content such as photos and posts shared on Google+, as well as those that have been shared specifically with that user.

The Google+ profiles of people will now also appear in the autocomplete window and search results. The Google search algorithm will now also specifically help users to find people and pages on Google+ related to specific topics or areas of interest.

The new search features come with new interface elements, which Google says will allow users full control.

Singhal says: “For example, personal results are clearly marked as Public, Limited or Only you. Additionally, people in your results are clearly marked with the Google+ circle they are in, or as suggested connections.”

A new toggle button in the top right of the search results page can switch the results between “personalised” and “unpersonalised”.

Bad move?

Google's emphasis on its own social content has already garnered some criticism from some who think the search giant is unfairly using its search monopoly to drive users to its social network.

Micro-blogging titan Twitter has already released a statement with its unequivocal opposition to the new search features.

Twitter says: “For years, people have relied on Google to deliver the most relevant results anytime they wanted to find something on the Internet.

“Often, they want to know more about world events and breaking news. Twitter has emerged as a vital source of this real-time information, with more than 100 million users sending 250 million Tweets every day on virtually every topic.

“As we've seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter; as a result, Twitter accounts and Tweets are often the most relevant results.

“We're concerned that as a result of Google's changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone. We think that's bad for people, publishers, news organisations and Twitter users.”

Clearly threatened

Local new media lawyer Paul Jacobson says, in the short-term, Twitter may have a point.

“It's quite arrogant, but it is true. News does tend to break on Twitter first and Google not indexing that information could be detrimental. But that said, the breaking news will still be there on Twitter and those who are looking for it will know where to get it.”

Jacobson says, however, that Twitter's reaction shows it is clearly threatened by the new update.

“Twitter has no decent search capacity and it has been struggling to keep its place and relevance. If anything is going to knock Twitter off its perch it will be Google+.”

Jacobson argues that Twitter will become increasingly marginalised if it fails to innovate. “The latest redesign was clearly aimed at Facebook's Timeline and the Google+ Stream. But Twitter doesn't have the privacy and selective sharing capabilities of its competitors.

“Of course, Twitter won't die tomorrow; it's still growing and has a long way to go. But Google+ is definitely a threat and I'm not seeing the same level of innovation from Twitter.”

Jacobson says Twitter shot itself in the foot by not renewing its real-time search deal with Google last year.

“If its inclusion in Google search results was that important to Twitter, it shouldn't have thrown up that barrier and should have renewed the deal. They've created their own mess now.”

Jacobson adds that while Twitter has been looking at its own search capabilities for a while now, its problem is that its content is “very in the now” and it doesn't lend itself to the archiving of information.

Refreshing search

Twitter's chirps aside, Jacobson says he thinks the search updates by Google and the new functionality it provides is “phenomenal”.

“Facebook has the users, connections and social activity and it is clearly ahead in the social space, but one thing it doesn't have is search. This limits Facebook as a social hub.

“Google's bringing in of social search really solves that problem. Google+ unfortunately doesn't have the users though, which limits its value.”

Jacobson says, however, that the new features make search social, useful and relevant again.

“That has long been a criticism of search and the reason why people have been turning to services like Quora or asking questions on Twitter.

“This is the logical step for Google. People forget that Google+ wasn't launched as a standalone social network. From the outset, Google said it would add a strong social component across all its services.

“As the name suggests, it's Google plus more social. So this is the next step in that process; it's a big step, but it's still just the next step.”

Getting sceptical

Owner of digital communications agency Retroviral, Mike Sharman, says he has his reservations about the new Google updates.

Sharman says while on the one hand search will become more personal, conversely it seems Google is giving itself an unfair advantage considering its real-time search deal was not renewed with Twitter last year, and Facebook takes the stance not to allow crawling of its content based on privacy concerns.

“On paper - the search changes will be beneficial and more relevant to users and their physical social networks, but that's not to say that I am not becoming more sceptical of my own participation on Google+ and the type of content that I choose to share on the network,” says Sharman.

“This move makes Facebook look like the good guy as it stands by its decision not to 'release' information to search engines. As it closes in on the one billion user mark, the Zuck-machine shouldn't be concerned yet, but I'm sure will be keeping an eye on developments.”

Share