Waiting for Baby on Facebook - How Facebook is Changing How We Search for Information
Posted by Steve Lazuka on Mon, Apr 06, 2009
Waiting For Baby on Facebook
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30035882
Kristin Kalning at MSNBC posted a humurous but telling article about how she discovered a new form of searching for and acquiring high quality information online... namely: Facebook.
When learning of her new baby-on-the-way, Kristin realized that she would need a lot of products like baby chairs and strollers. Rather than using the traditional approach of going to Google and typing in "baby stroller reviews", she instead posted on her Facebook profile. Immediately friends responded with reviews of different products.
Facebook a Threat to Google?
Given this scenario, one might begin to envision a future where, as social networks like Facebook and Twitter make it easier for people to connect with others and LEARN from others they trust, the need for search engines could be reduced. After all, while Google is a much broader index to search in, it lacks the personal trust factor that our personal social networks have. Reading a review on epinions from a guy with the username "hackzaw" isn't quite the same as getting a personalized review from a friend with real experience using the products.
The world we live in is evolving fast. While the rate of change can sometimes make our heads spin, it's also an exciting time to be alive and watch it all unfold before our eyes.