The Ever-Changing Landscape of Search Engines and Social Networks
Google and Twitter have once again joined forces, this time to integrate Twitter messages into mobile search results, starting from Tuesday. This partnership, which was first established in February, will enable Google to display Twitter messages in real-time, thereby increasing the visibility of these messages in search results. In return, Twitter will gain more traffic and attract new users to register for the service.
This is not the first time that Google and Twitter have collaborated on a project. In 2009, they entered into a two-year agreement, which allowed Google to access Twitter data in real-time. However, despite the increased traffic, Twitter failed to generate significant revenue from this partnership, leading Google to discontinue the feature after the agreement expired.
Meanwhile, Facebook has been making waves in the search engine market with its GraphSearch feature, which allows users to search within the social network. This move has been seen as a challenge to Google’s dominance in the search market, and recent reports suggest that Facebook is planning to launch a separate search engine.
In China, Baidu has been at the forefront of the search engine market, with a market share of over 80%. However, the company has been facing stiff competition from social networks, particularly microblogging platforms. These platforms have been rapidly expanding their search capabilities, and are increasingly becoming a threat to Baidu’s dominance.
The Shifting Alliances between Search Engines and Social Networks
The cooperation between Google and Twitter is just the latest example of the ever-changing landscape between search engines and social networks. These two industries are driven by data, and their business models are increasingly converging.
One of the key differences between search engines and social networks is their approach to data. Search engines are open and transparent, advocating for the free flow of data, while social networks are more closed and restrictive, hoarding data and limiting its use.
Despite these differences, the two industries share a common goal: to monetize user data through advertising. As the industry continues to evolve, it is likely that search engines and social networks will become increasingly similar, with a focus on big data and targeted advertising.
The Rise of Microblogging and Social Search
Microblogging platforms, such as WeChat’s micro-letter service, are rapidly expanding their search capabilities, and are increasingly becoming a threat to Baidu’s dominance. These platforms are self-contained, with their own data flows and user bases, and are not reliant on search engines for traffic.
The rise of microblogging and social search is a significant development in the industry, and one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. As social networks continue to expand their search capabilities, it is likely that search engines will become increasingly marginalized, and that social networks will become the dominant players in the industry.
Conclusion
The cooperation between Google and Twitter is just the latest example of the ever-changing landscape between search engines and social networks. As the industry continues to evolve, it is likely that search engines and social networks will become increasingly similar, with a focus on big data and targeted advertising. The rise of microblogging and social search is a significant development, and one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the industry.