Did Google go too far with Google+ and search?

The idea of “social search” is nothing new, and Bing has been doing it long before Google. But when Google recently announced its “Search Plus Your World” feature, which integrates content from Google+ into its main search results, the blogosphere erupted into howls of protest. The biggest critic was, of course, Twitter. “Bad day for the Internet,” tweeted Alex Macgillivray, Twitter’s general counsel. But Twitter admittedly has a lot to lose with the move. Google’s decision to highlight its own social network in search results puts Google+ content above real-time breaking news from sites like Twitter. The micro-blogging service could also be regretting the end of a partnership in July under which Google paid Twitter to include tweets in search results.

But not all of the criticism can be discounted as “competitive carping,” wrote paidContent’s Jeff Roberts. “This is a big deal because Google has long maintained that it doesn’t tamper with its search results. Although Google has not technically broken its rule (its normal results are still objective) it’s a slippery slope.” Google’s preferred placement of its own products could also raise antitrust concerns. “Google’s new personalized search features are switched on by default,” explained GigaOm’s Matthew Ingram. “While there is a switch that allows a user to easily turn them off, such ‘opt in by default’ measures have gotten Facebook in hot water with regulators before.” Others pointed out that it could blur the line between what’s public and private. “I think of search engines as a gateway to the rest of the world, not as a repository for stuff about me,” wrote Slate’s Farhad Manjoo. “Going to Google for pictures of my son seems as strange as going to a bookstore to look for my diary.” But CNET’s Stephen Shankland said Google had no choice. “Google can’t simply ignore social information,” he wrote. “Because—perhaps you may have noticed—social connections are a force that’s rebuilding the Internet.”

• Google’s Social Move Attracts Critics (NY Times)
  
• Google+ in search: Google had no choice (CNET News)
  
• Did Google Go Too Far Mixing Social And Search? (paidContent)
  
• Twitter Scolds Google for Social-Search Development (Ad Age)
  
• Is adding Google+ to search a red flag for regulators? (GigaOm)
  
• Google Search Changes Rile Privacy Advocate (PC World)
  
• I’m Not Here To Make Friends (Slate)
  
• Google search: This time it’s personal (ZDNet)
  
• Google’s new social search: How far can you trust it? (VentureBeat)
  
• New Test Results: Google Rewires Web With Personal Touches (ReadWriteWeb)
  
• Is It Legal For Google To Shut Competitors Out Of Social Search? (paidContent)
  
• A Google+ Tempest In A Teacup (TechCrunch)