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Google Social Search Is Now Live

Writing by Nick Stamoulis

A couple of days ago we did a post on Google Social Search to let you know it is coming. Today, Google announced that the Google social search feature is now active. This is both good news and bad news, depending on how you look at this…

Here is a cool video presented by Google’s Matt Cutts about Google Social Search and How it Works:

The reason Google Social Search is good news is because you can now get additional search results whenever you query Google for information. Those additional results, however, do not appear based on any algorithm or Google-biased data. Rather, it comes from your social graph, the people in your social circle that Google knows about. Google knows about your social circle if you have added a Google Profile, use Google Reader, or use Google Chat. Also, if you use Twitter or Friendfeed then your friends in those places may be added.

It’s interesting to know that Google might think your friend Tom from Twitter would know about Australian kangaroos because Google can see that he lives in Sydney, Australia. If you Google “Australian kangaroos” then Tom could show up in your search results.

The bad news is this really means Google has its eye on your every move. If you value your privacy online then Google Social Search should be a clue that you don’t have any. Of course, if you value your privacy that much then you shouldn’t fill out a Google Profile or use Google Reader. Here is my Google profile as an example:
http://www.google.com/profiles/nickstamoulisbrickmarketing

If you’d like to learn more about how Google Social Search works, visit the Google Blog for more information.

4 Responses to “Google Social Search Is Now Live”

  • Lorraine Grula says:
    November 3, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    Wow. Google, the friendly proctoscope of the universe!

    It will take me a while before I decide whether I like this or not.

    Interesting how Matt Cutts says if you have information posted anywhere they look, then they assume you are 100% OK with them spreading the info around even more. Then, he insists you have total control. Personally, I am not real comfortable with either of those statements. Even though I personally never visit sites I would be embarrassed about, (even in front of my very conservative granny) I sure worry about this wisdom of this.

    Does it REALLY add to the relevancy of my search to know that your friend of a friend of a friend found such-and-such?

    Thanks Nick.

  • Nick Stamoulis says:
    November 3, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    Hi Lorraine,

    Thanks for the comment! It should be very interesting to see if Google social search really will work well long term and people adopt it or not…

  • Tag44 says:
    November 4, 2009 at 12:50 am

    Thanks for the post Nick and for sharing the information that Google Social Search is now live.

  • Nick Stamoulis says:
    November 4, 2009 at 6:04 am

    Hi Tagg44,
    You are very welcome…thanks for reading!

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