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Twitter V's Google
Having read a number of different blogs and opinions on the matter, there seems to be a widely growing consensus within the Social Media industry, that Twitter possesses greater search capabilities than any other search engine. Could this possibly be true? Do my ears and eyes deceive me? Does Twitter in fact represent a viable search based alternative to the Google behemoth? In order to answer these questions, we must define what is meant by ‘greater search capabilities’. If we define these capabilities as being faster and more relevant, then potentially the answer is yes, Twitter rules the roost. On this basis, there are a number of inherent limitations as Twitter only provides a limited search facility. That means currently, Twitter is great for tracking peoples conversations, but not a viable competitor to Google as a search engine.
However, this is all potentially about to change. Excited yet? Seemingly, the new VP of operations at Twitter has indicated that the search function will soon be capable of trawling the links that are included in all areas of the global Twittersphere. Firstly, there are a tonne of links that are capable of being crawled by Google, secondly, given the outstanding and exponential growth of the service, these links could end up being a large proportion of ALL web based activity. This would provide a far more comprehensive search than is currently available. If feasible, many would consider this to be a massive technical leap and more aptly, displays to any doubters that the people at Twitter aren’t messing around when it comes to search.
The new VPO also indicated Twitter search will also incorporate a new ‘reputation ranking system’. This being taken into consideration would mean that all Tweets have an implicit ‘rating’, as such; a rank will be calculated for each Twitterer. This ranking will in turn be influenced by a number of variable factors including number of followers, number of retweets etc. Some spectators are suggesting that this could be exactly the sort of tool that Twitter need to succeed within this area.
Combined with the proposed search facilities, these two elements possess equal levels of importance for Twitter when attempting to offer an astounding source of competitive advantage and differentiation. The ability to crawl links will put the fear into Google, and the ranking system will allow them to be able to prioritise the importance of masses of data. The fundamental question remains, can Googles complex search algorithms (based upon inbound links) in the form of ‘Pagerank’ stay ahead of Twitters search methodology based upon the output of conversations? If Twitter can gain a foothold in one small area of the search market, it may seriously unsecure Google’s current strangle hold on the overall market.
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