Google Social Search Goes Live – What Does That Mean to You and to Social Media?

Written by on October 28, 2009 - 7 Comments
Categories: "Social Soup"

social-media-marketing-3

The Social Media world continues to turn (at dizzying speed).
It’s only been days since the announcement of deals between Twitter and Microsoft’s Bing, and then Google. Now Google’s newest search option, “social search” has gone live.

Although in “experimental” status, the new Google Social Search is available to users who choose to use the service (look in ‘experimental’).

The “new results” show up at the bottom of the search page and include posts made by those in your social circle with relevant content. If you use the “options” feature of Google (which I often do in order to select ‘recent results’) a new social option has appeared there as well offering only those results from your social circle. It is unknown, yet likely that these results will ultimately be assimilated into the search results as Google deems them to be of greater value to users.

Where is the data coming from? Google is pulling this data from your public networks such as twitter and friendfeed, photo and video sharing sites where you have posted public information, as well as your Google accounts and Google profile. How does Google know about all of your other accounts? Well, some are connected to your Google account, such as youtube, etc. Others such as your blogs, etc. are discovered through your Google profile.

googleprofile

As you can see in the photo above, my blogs, social networks, etc. are listed here. This is where Google accesses much of this content.

Currently I am not finding a lot of ‘social results’. In fact, many are mine! I’m sure that this will evolve over time. Here is an example of search results returned when I used the “options” feature and selected “social”.
googlesocial

Now, what does all of this mean to you? It’s all in how you look at it! For some, it will seem ‘creepy’, for others, it’s an opportunity.
I already prefer to find and choose businesses, services, etc from friends and use facebook and twitter frequently to do that. So this is exciting to me! Why would I want to go through the listings of sites that have simply been around longer and been ‘clicked on more’ (read: old), or those who simply bought and paid for placement, when I can go to sites and blogs that my friends have posted or like?

As a business owner, this is “HUGE”!  This gives small business owners and entrepreneurs the opportunity to be even more “find-able” than ever before! Provided that they are blogging, reading, commenting, posting and using social media!

For all of us, it is a reminder that although “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, the same does NOT hold true for the internet! If you post it, it will be found! (I say, don’t post dumb stuff anyway and it won’t matter!)

Some will say that this is horrible and scary, and so on. The truth is, the internet exists, and it’s not going away. The truth is, even if you avoid the internet like the plague, someone else can talk about you online. As Sue Scheff tells in her book Google Bomb, it is frighteningly simple for someone to ruin your reputation with just a few clicks. The irony (as I see it) is that if you are actively engaged online, and posting valuable content, and are present, then you get the opportunity to “fill that space”. If you have content there, and you are engaging with others, and creating the presence that YOU want to have, then if someone comes along, they can’t have the same impact.

For example, I recently did a Google search on someone a friend was going to go into business with. He is a multi-gazillionaire who has bought and sold lots of companies, etc. He is NOT however very active online apparently (and neither are “his people”). Like most big successful business owners, there are people out there with an axe to grind against him. The problem is, he isn’t putting anything out there to the contrary. As a result, when I search all I get is how terrible, crooked, etc. he is. I don’t know if he is or isn’t, I just know that there isn’t anything there to dispute it. Is that fair? Maybe not…maybe so? Is it fair that people can say whatever they want to whether it’s true or not? No, I don’t think that is fair. However, what is fair is that unless you just refuse, or don’t have time, or don’t want to learn, or are too lazy or too whatever, you CAN post information too. The playing field is now level! You don’t have to be a journalist, or famous, or rich, or anything else.

As with all things, there are many sides to every story! What are your thoughts about this?

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  • http://www.twitterfools.com twitterfools

    Interesting to see all the social information coming into the search engines. As this trend has moved forward I have wondered how search engines will sift out the noise and narrow down to the valuable information. Some have suggested the retweets, diggs, stumbles, or likes/dislike votes will help boost social content in search but even those can be biased. From my standpoint it is too early to tell if this will really be a useful addition to search results for anything other than investigating a potential employee or business partner. You other point is well taken – what we all post online will follow us. Make sure it is something you, and your Mother can be proud of.

  • http://heathero.com HeatherO

    I have read that the social search results will be integrated eventually. I'm not so sure that keeping them in their own category isn't better. Then you can choose to select them. I guess however they do it, we will get used to it though! Of course there are always other search engines if we don't:)

    Thanks for commenting:)

  • http://www.suescheff.com/ Sue Scheff

    You have valid points and thougths. I always tell people that attempt to tell me they don't have to worry since they don't Twitter, they don't FB etc… so they don't have to worry – that is quite the contrary – everyone needs to be concerned, especially those that are not social networking. If you don't own your own name – who will? Your competitor? A former employee that has a beef with you? A disgruntled client? Remember, a 20 year reputation can be virtually and literally destroyed in 20 minutes of vicious keystrokes.

    If you are not computer savvy to Blog, create sites etc… and you are in business, it may benefit you to hire a service to help you. I used ReputationDefender – cost effective and dedicated to their clients. I am not referring you to them/nor am I selling them – I don't receive any referral fees from them – I am simply one of their first clients and feel they literally saved my online profile from one disgruntled client.

    Like Heather's friend she was going to go into business with, if she didn't personally know him, she would have missed an opportunity. How many hotels lose potential customers from unflattering posts in comments from an angry customer or how about a competitor hotel across the street! What about a restaurant review that states the eatery has flithy flatware and cockroaches in the kitchen? How do we know it isn't a neighboring eatery that needs business? I know this may sound ridiculous, but again – if you aren't proactive with your own online image, someone else will be.

  • http://heathero.com/2009/10/got-a-google-profile/ HeatherO s Good Soup – Blog, Info, News and Events on How to Increase the value of YOU, Your Business, and Your Social Network » Got a Google Profile?

    [...] If you don’t want people to find you, you probably don’t want one! If you are a business owner, or work with a cause, or blog about one, or have some other reason to want to share your content with the world, this is a great way to ‘be found’. Click here for more info on Google’s Social Search. [...]

  • http://heathero.com HeatherO

    If anyone can speak to this, you can Sue! For those of you who have not read about Sue's own experience in having someone else “takeover” her online reputation, read her book “Google Bomb”!

  • http://heathero.com HeatherO

    If anyone can speak to this, you can Sue! For those of you who have not read about Sue's own experience in having someone else “takeover” her online reputation, read her book “Google Bomb”!

  • http://heathero.com/2009/11/is-your-business-listed-with-google/ HeatherO s Good Soup – Blog, Info, News and Events on How to Increase the value of YOU, Your Business, and Your Social Network » How To Get Your Business To Show up “Beside the Map” on Google

    [...] There you go! If you are an independent business owner, you might want to make sure that you have a profile too. Click here to do view your profile.Make sure you include links to your blogs, your inside919 page here, and other social networks (if you would like to be found using social search). [...]