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It is funny that whenever Google, Microsoft or another key player in the field of search engine technology releases some new feature that barely makes a difference to the entire idea of getting information everybody pays attention. But when a host of start-ups rack their brains to roll out an entirely new concept behind how information is delivered to you on the Internet, few people listen. Still, merely a decade ago no one wanted to wager a penny on ventures that today never leave the spotlight, so maybe those who think and look outside the box are likely to be proved right in the end. This is largely the spirit that surrounds a number of young companies that seek to harness the success of social media into the business of searching the Internet.
The thrust of what they do is based on the belief that, thanks to the growth and enduring popularity of social networking, the Internet is evolving from an environment beyond most people's influence and control into one that is basically driven by users. As they are attracted by different communities on the Web, private, professional, hobby-centered and so on, they create masses of valuable information that can be then processed to help arrive at what is really relevant to them. This is a major departure from the concept behind traditional search engines that are not geared towards this definition of relevance.
This is the key term behind most search engine algorithms that are fine-tuned to return results that are objectively relevant to searchers. To calculate which website ranks higher, Google and others take into consideration a spate of categories, the most prominent of which is linking to and from the site. It is taken to represent how reputable and interesting for others on the Web the website is. The criticism is that what is popular in general does not have to reflect the needs of our immediate environment. And here is where the revolution might start.
Unlike traditional search engines, the newest crop of contenders to the online information crown highlights the importance of the community. When we make a profile on Facebook or LinkedIn and choose to participate in these networks by sharing comments, gossiping or reviewing, we leave behind plenty of data. This collective knowledge that all the groups we are in possess can serve as the basis for more personalized searches that give priority to community experiences. As a result when you hit leadership training, dinner for two or graphics tablet, the results you are going to differ because they will be based on a different set of criteria.
It is a revolutionary concept, but even at this point it is easy to see its weaknesses. First, searches made on the basis on social media data are going to be much more reliant on personal information, thus many people sensitive to privacy issues might want to opt out. Second, not everyone uses social media, despite their seeming ubiquity so a section of the population might be excluded. Third, even with the widest network of friends, there is no guarantee that the pool of information they generated is enough to give back robust answers to queries. Fourth, the idea might be disliked as limiting people to their immediate surroundings and in this way a bit parochial.
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