Google quietly released a groundbreaking new service earlier this month: social search. Now, in addition to showing you whole-world search results using its trusty algorithm, Google will also show you results from people in your trusted network.
The new feature displays relevant search results from your social circle at the bottom of the search results page. It can combine content from your friend’s blogs, Flickr, Twitter, FriendFeed, and a wide variety of other social media sites with Google’s regular search results.
How does it know who’s in your trusted circle? From what Google knows about you. If you’re logged into any Google service, search can personalize content using three sources:
- Your Google Reader account
- Your Google Chat / Gmail Contacts
- Your Google Profile (and any social networks you have listed there)
