Garrett SaundryThe Social Search. How it Works:
Google and Bing are changing the way we are use the internet….. again. Social Search has been created and both Bing and Google have their own takes on it. So what is it?
Social Search is a new addition to the old search engine that allows users to opt-in to having search results come from content created by friends and connections in their social networks. These results would be included with the search results from the web. The difference between the two? Bing has Facebook, Google has Twitter.
If you are anything like me, you are already using your social media platforms to search for anything from places to eat to apartments for rent. With the new social search that both Google and Bing are offering up, I can simply log into my Google (or Bing) account and search one place which will produce results from people in my social network and the web. This produces a lattice of information that has specific relevance to me; it is my network after all.
I recently moved to Vancouver. I have a few friends here, but for the most part, the friends I’ve made are also new to the city. When I was on the hunt for a great Mexican restaurant, I did what most of us do, I googled “Mexican in Vancouver”. The Google map appeared with pink dots all over it as to where I could find Mexican food in Vancouver, phone numbers and addresses included, but no great reviews.
With the advent of the Social Search, I can now scan my social networks to see if any of my friends have said anything about “Mexican in Vancouver”. Instead of going to a dodgy hole-in-the-wall spot, I can go to Topanga Café for some delicious margaritas and well deserved burritos (after all, it was really tough to find). The result of my search is not only personalized for me by my friends who “Like” it, but is actually put into the top results based on my own social network.
The great Benefits of the Social Search? Reduced spam, increased relevance, human judgment, relevance determined by peers, and results from your network that are not stale dated.
The Cons of the Social Search: What do you like on Facebook?
I “Like” a lot of things on Facebook. I “Like” Justin Bieber, and I “Like” being a part of the Young Seniors of Oak Bay Group. No offense to Justin Bieber, but I’m not actually a fan, I simply think it’s funny to be one and I can be sure I’m not the only one who “Likes” things they know nothing about.
So the relevance of all searches could be skewed by my impish tendencies to like idiotic things.
The Social Search will no doubt be a game changer in SEO, and the way we use the internet. For now, just be wary of whose word you’re choosing to trust and be choosey about what you “Like”.