Where are we and where are we going?
Up to recently Google has really dominated the Internet in an era when interlinked web pages, links from one site to another counted as a vote helping to determine relevance for search terms.
At the time this made Google unbeatable and Google was considered "evil" for making tons of money.
It wasn't that hard either for real estate agents who knew what they were doing to rank for any search term they chose.
But fast forward to today – is that how the Internet works now?
Sure doesn't look like it to me – instead people are sharing links with friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites creating a very different kind of web.
In particular people are using Facebook's new "Like" button to recommend websites, news stories, blogs and music to their network of online friends …
… and in increasing numbers – earlier this month Facebook claimed 200,000 websites (including ours) have incorporated the "Like" button on their sites.
I heard someone mention on the radio the other day that this is a little like these Webmasters letting their camel put his nose inside your tent (see below) this might be a good metaphor.
It looks to me like Facebook is positioning itself to build the next generation of search engine – one that delivers search results based on your personal interests and those of your friends.
With the "Like" button Facebook is basically getting it's users to submit content, whereas Google has to continue to use it's vast network of servers to crawl the web looking for new content. And it's working:
… as evidenced by Facebook's statistics in it's online press room.
The exponential growth of the "Like" button means that Facebook will know even more about your individual preferences. Think about this for a moment, Google does not have a complete list of all your friends and their interests but Facebook does …
Facebook however has to tread a little carefully, the fickle public could abandon the platform in droves, just like they did to MySpace and FriendFeed.
So where is the Internet headed next?
This could get interesting for Realtors as the search results they have been accustomed to won't ever be the same …
Stay tuned – we will explore the known and unknown tomorrow ….
The next post in the series is here
The Camel's Nose In The Tent.
One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.
A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.
Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself. (originally posted here: Camel's nose)
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