What seems clear to me is that it can often function as an effective means for searching for pertinent information. When something is on my mind and I start searching for information, I mre often than not “stumble upon&# it, almost as if by magic (why do you think the web service Stumble Upon came into being ?). Snip. ]. MORE >>

When I read Google announcements like this one, An update to Google Social Search , I find myself wondering why Google doesn't just come out and say something like this: "We know social search is important, and we're working on it. We've got a bigger vision for what social means in the world, and here it is.". MORE >>

Now, I’m not predicting the company will lose revenue or profits in its core business of search, but rather that Larry Page’s first full year as CEO will be challenging, due in part to decisions made (or not made) back in 2011, and in part to the inherent complications of the businesses where Google now plants its flag. Yikes. MORE >>

One of the big contenders for this "next big thing" is social search : the idea of adding user annotations or other metadata to the process. However, usually what is meant by social search is something like incorporating user-generated tags or ratings into an index or ranking function. Please try again. MORE >>

Search, and Google in particular, was the first true language of the Web. Facebook (and for some, like this site, Twitter) is becoming a primary source of traffic. One, Facebook has metastasized to a size that rivals Google. And two, Facebook Connect has come into its own. Social is the fundamental element of that shift. MORE >>