July2011

TheSocialEcosystems: DisruptingtheSearchparadigm
HowSocialcanchangethewaywelookattheInternet
byShreyVerma,LeaderOutreach&PR,BUZZVALVE

Humaninteractionsoccuratvariouslevels.InPsychology,humanfactorgivesprominencetothe socialcharacterofhumans.Thispaperexamineshownewecosystemsinthesocialmediaspace capturethebasicessenceofhumaninteractions.Weexplorehowtheecosystemscanbecome invaluablesourcesofsubconscioususerdata,thatcouldbeusedtoextrapolatehumanpersonality andbehaviour.ThepaperlooksathowdataofsuchmagnitudecanalterfutureSearchparadigms andalsoinquiresintohowsocialmediaecosystemscouldintroducenewdynamicsintheSearch process.Intheend,weanalyzethestrategicvisionoftheBigTwooftheonlinespace,Googleand Facebook,andhowtheyarerespondingtothechangingsocialmedialandscape.

TABLEOFCONTENTS
1TheEcosystems a. Nichelevelinteraction b. SocialGaminginteraction c. SocialMusicandEntertainment

2SOSSociallyOptimizedSearch a. UsingtheEcosystems:StaticandDynamicDataCollection b. UsingtheEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

i. ii. iii. iv. InformationalRelevancy SocialRelevancy LocationalRelevancy PersonalityRelevancy

3TheBigTwo:GoogleandFacebook a. StrategicMoves b. IntegratingtheEcosystems:Thekeytothefuture

4Conclusion

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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

1. THEECOSYSTEMS
Applyingthetheoreticalconstructsofmodernsociologyandotherstudies,Socialnetworking canbevisualizedasagraphwithindividualhumansasnodesjoinedbyinterdependenciesor interactions.SocialnetworkingplatformFacebookhascapturedthebasicinteraction dynamicintheformofsimpleconversationsandsharing.Thewebofhumaninteractionsisofa complexnatureandextendstointeractionstakingplaceatvariouslevelswithdifferingmodes andmethods. Facebook,inmanyways,hasmaximizedthepotentialofbasicinteractionandhence constitutesthebasiccoreornucleusofthesocialmediauniverse.Theideasforthefutureliein hownewecosystemsemergearoundthisbasicnucleusbychangingthelevelofinteractionor bycreatingnewmodesofinteraction.

Nichelevelinteraction
TheexampleofanichelevelinteractionplatformthatcomestoourmindisQuora.The fundamentalideabehindQuoraissimilartothatofFacebook.Bothcapturethebasic conversationalandsharingdynamicthatexistsbetweenhumanbeings.Quorasdifferentiation liesinitssuccessofchangingthelevelofinteractionthatexistsonFacebook.Insteadofsharing linksandshortmessagesonwalls,theinteractionsbetweenpeoplerevolvearoundasking questionsandsharinganswerstothem.Quorahassucceededinbuildingaculturethroughits platform,ofencouragingpeopletoanalyze,ideateandthrowinformedopiniononquestions droppedbyothers.BloggingplatformssuchasBloggerandTumblralsoconstituteinteraction thatoccursatamorecerebrallevel,wherecreativityanddebateflourishinabundance. BothQuoraandbloggingplatformslikeBloggerandTumblrhavecapitalizedonhuman psychologytoexhibitandshowcaseknowledge.Theendresult:Notonlydopeoplecome togethertofindinformation,butengageinexpertanalysiswhichismissingonageneral platformlikeFacebook.Whileavailabilityofinformationisimportant,assessmentandanalysis ofsuchinformationiswherenichelevelecosystemsmanagetotaketheleadleavingothers behind.WhileideasaresharedonFacebook,theyaredissectedandinterrogatedonQuoraand throughblogs.Thishasgivenbirthtoanewecosystemofinformedanalysis,whichwetermas nichelevelinteraction.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

SocialGamingInteraction
Socialgamingcapturesmanyoftherealworldhumaninstinctsandbehaviour.Accordingto ShannonAppelcline,twoformsofsocialgaminginteractionwarrantourattentiona) competitivesocializationandb)cooperativesocialization.

Competitivesocialization Incompetitivesocialization,theplayerscompeteagainstoneanotherinordertosurviveorwin. Thegameisdesignedtoallowfiercebattlesbetweentheplayersthemselves.Within competitivesocialization,resourcecompetitionisanimportantgameconstruct.Asinreallife, wherethereiscutthroatcompetitionformaterialwealth,womenetc.,gamesbasedon resourcecompetitionincorporategameelementswhereplayerscompeteagainstoneanother tocaptureresourcesandexpandmaterialwealth. Cooperativesocialization Here,thegameisdesignedbycreatinganenvironmentforcooperationbetweenplayersto fightordefeatacommonenemy.Thecommonenemycouldbethegamesystemitself.This allowsplayerstonotonlyinteractwiththegame,butalsosocializewithotherplayersaspartof completingthegameobjective.Socialgameinteractionisbestcapturedthroughsuchgame dynamics.

Aplatformthathasshownimmensesuccessintappingintotheaboveformsofgame interactionisZyngathroughitssocialmediagameslikeFarmville,MafiaWarsandmany others.WithFarmville,Zyngahascapitalizedontheconceptofresourcecompetitionwhere playerscompetetogrowtheirfarmestatesandothervirtualassets.Whatisinterestingtonote hereisthatZyngahasalsomanagedtoincorporateelementsofcooperativesocializationinits gamesaswell.Byenablinguserstolendfarmresourcestotheirfriendsorhelpthembuynew resourcesinordertoexpandtheirfriendsfarmestatedoesembodyanelementofco operationinordertodefeatacommonenemy,inthiscasethegamesystem.Forinstance,a messagelikethisonaFacebookwallisanaptexampleofhowZyngacapturescooperative socializationinitsgames: XneedshelponYsRiskyBusinessChallengeinZyngaPoker!Thereisaspecialbonusforfriends thatgoallinandwinthehandtohelpcompletethechallenge Thegamechallengeinthiscaseisthecommonenemybringingfriendstogethertodefeatit. Zyngassuccessliesinunderstandingtheselevelsofhumaninteractionsandleveragingthemto createasuccessfulgameproductsuchasFarmvilleorPoker.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

SocialMusic&Entertainment
VideoandmoviesharingplatformslikeYouTubeandNetflixhavechangedhowpeopleexpress themselvesandinteractwiththebroaderaudience.Aconfessionorareallifeexperienceinthe formofavideo,whenuploadedexemplifiesinteractionthattakesplacebetweenanindividual andthelargerhumanity.ThelevelofinteractionthatYouTubeprovidesisaonemany interaction.WatchingandsharingmovieswithfriendsonNetflixisanotherwaytoexpress oneselfbyidentifyingwithastorylineorgenre. Turntable,anothersocialplatformisaperfectexampleofhownewecosystemscanemergeby capturingrealworldbehaviourandinteractionsonlineinavirtualsetting.Thesocialnetwork platformrevolvesaroundtheconceptoflisteningtomusicwithfellowhumanbeings.Aformof interactionthatweadoptofteninreallife!ThekeyhereisthatTurntablehasbeenableto capturethatvirtually.ItallowsyoutocreateaRoom(similartoChatRooms),whereinsteadof startingasimpleconversation,auserisencouragedtodonthemantleofaDJandrollout musicforothersintheroom.Ineffect,otherswhomayenterthesameroomwillhearwhat youarelistening.Themusic,iflikedbyaotherintheroom,couldresultinastimulating discussionbetweentheuserandtheotherperson.Agreatwaytostartaconversation! Turntablehasthusaidedinactualizingaredefinedconceptofsocialinteraction,creatinga musicecosystembuiltaroundsocialnetworking. Figure1EmergingEcosystems:CapturingReallifeactivitiesintheVirtualSpace

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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

2. S.O.SSOCIALLYOPTIMIZEDSEARCH UsingtheEcosystems:Static&DynamicDataCollection
WesawhownewecosystemshaveemergedaroundsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook. WiththelaunchofGoogle+,thepotentialfornewecosystemstoactualizehasonlygotbigger. Theecosystemsarealsohugerepositoriesofuserdataandbehaviourpatterns.Intodaysage, informationiswealthandforplatformslikeFacebookandGoogle+,encouraginggrowthofnew ecosystemsaroundthemcanenhancetheirunderstandingofhumanthoughtpatternsacross theglobefurther.Anassetthathashighmonetaryvalue! SocialDataembodieshumanthinkingpatternsmoreimplicitly.Letusfirstunderstandthe aspectsofdatacollectionthattakesplaceontheInternet.Thisunderstandingiscriticalfor appreciatingthepotentialofafutureSociallyOptimizedSearchparadigm.Thereareprimarily twobroadcategoriesofdatathatarebeingsourcedfromtheInterneteverysecondtomap userbehaviourandchoices.Theycanbeclassifiedas1)StaticDataand2)DynamicData. AsearchkeywordoraphrasesuchasgoodplacestoeatonGooglewouldbeconsideredas staticdata.AphraselikegoodplacestoeattellsGoogleaboutanindividualspossible interestineatingout,butnothingmore.Itspowerfulsearchalgorithmreturnsrelevantresults accordingtoinformationalcontent,whichcaterstouserssearchobjectiveswell.Similarly,a mapsearchforagenerickeywordpopulatesthemapwithpins,correspondingtothose locationswhichshowacertainlevelofrelevance.Thereishowevernorelativerankingamong thepins.DataofthiskindisinabundancewithGoogle,containingwithinittopics,placesand questionstroublingusersminds.Thisdataisstaticinnature,becauseitconcernsalargegroup andthesearchdataisnotindividualspecific(thereisalowchanceofusersbeingsignedinto Google,whensearching).Also,searchdoesnotallowatwowayinformationexchangebetween theuserandthesearchengine.Theinformationflowisonewayfromthesearchenginetothe user. Theothercategoryofdatathatisbeingcollected(thoughnotbyGoogle,butitscompetitor Facebook)isthatwhichisrelatedtouseractivityandtheirlikes.This,weconsiderasdynamic data.EverytimeyoulikeacontentpostedbyyourfriendonFacebook,youareindirectly lettingFacebookknowofyourinterests.Thedataisdynamicbecausetherapidlychanginguser preferencesarereflectedinstantlythroughlikesandcommentspeoplepostonwalls frequently.Themostrecentthoughtordilemmaofauserisreflectedinhis/herstatusupdate orthelatestcommentoreventhelatestcontentthathe/shehasshared.Theinherentnature ofsuchdatamakesitdynamic.

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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

PlatformssuchasFacebookandQuorahaveaconsiderableleadwhenitcomestosocialdata. Userlikes,commentsandrecommendationsopenawindowintotheusersconsciousness. WhenauserasksaquestiononQuoraorfollowsaparticularquestion/topic,ittellsusabout theissuesandproblemsoccupyinghis/hermindinthattimewindow.Theactoffollowinga questionisdataofanimplicitnature,astheuserdoesnotexplicitlyvoiceshis/herdilemma,but identifieshisinnerquestionswithtopicsandquestionslistedbyothers. Similarly,choicesthatusersmakewhileplayingFarmvilleonFacebook,couldhelpin understandinghumanbehaviourfurtheratthemicrolevel.Gamedataofthatnaturecouldalso shedlightonindividualuserpersonalitiesandbiases.Implicitdataofsuchnaturecapturesboth behavioralandpsychologicalaspectsofhumanbeingswithoutthemknowingaboutit.So,a userplayingsocialgamesonFacebookissubconsciouslygivingoutdataeverysecond,which couldbeusedbyadvertisersandmarketerstodesignfutureproductsformicrotargeting purposes. Theecosystemsarethereforeanabundantsourceofsubconscioususerdata.Dataacquired fromtheseminiplatformsbuiltaroundFacebookorGoogle+couldprovideadeeper understandingofhumanchoicesandhelpcreateanengagingonlineexperience.Notonlycan theSearchexperiencebeenhancedbyintegratinguserdatafromacrossplatforms,butanew paradigmofintelligentonlineinteractionwiththeusercanbeestablishedtoo. Theideathatisrecurringinourdiscussionsistwofold:1)Ecosystemsarearichsourceofsub conscioususerdataand2)byusingsuchdatafromtheecosystems,wecanredefineuser experienceonline,incorporatingintelligentmechanicsintoSearchprocesses. Whilewestudiedthefirstpartoftheaboveideainthissection,inthenextsection,welookat howdatafromecosystemscanbeusedtoredefinetheconceptofSearchinthefuture.

UsingtheEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchParadigm
Ourdiscussionwillbuildontheideasintroducedintheprevioussectionandmainlyrevolve aroundhowthetwobroadcategoriesofuserdata:StaticandDynamicuponconvergence couldalterthewayasearchresultisarrivedat.Withtheexpansionofthesocialmediaspace andemergenceofecosystems,newdynamicshavegainedprominenceindrivinguserchoices anddesires.ThechallengeforSearchliesinrespondingtosuchconsiderationsinarrivingat results.TheideaofSearchtakingacriticalturninthefutureisinevitable.Wepropose4 parametersthatfutureSearchstrategiesandalgorithmsmusttakeintoaccount:1) InformationalRelevancy,2)SocialRelevancy,3)LocationalRelevancyand4)Personality Relevancy.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

InformationalRelevancy Informationalrelevancymainlyconcernstherelevancyofinformationalcontentwiththatof thesearchphraseorkeywordsentered.ThepresentSearcharchitecturemoreorlessfunctions onthisprinciple.Thealgorithmsthatexisttodayarecomplex,butthebasicidearemainsthe same:rankingpagesonthebasisofrichandrelevantcontentcorrespondingtokeywords entered.ThisapproachisandwillremainoneofthefundamentalpillarsofthefutureSearch paradigm,constitutingtheinitialfilteringprocess.

SocialRelevancy SocialRelevancycouldformoneoftheprincipalfactorsdrivingsearchresultsinthefuture.The Webtodayisagalaxyofinformation.Aninformationoverloadofthiskindisoftennothelpful tomeetsearchobjectivesfromausersperspective.Socialinteractiondatacouldactasa effectivefilterforsearchenginesofthefuture.DynamicdataintheformofFacebooklikes, comments,statusupdates,TwitterRetweetsetc.areagreatsourceofextrapolatinguser thoughtandpreferences.Thisdatacouldbeusedbysearchengineswhileextractingresults fromtheWeb.Forinstance,ifintherecentpast,auserlikedor+1dcontentrelatedtoa particularCarBrandandretweetedinformationthatspokepositivelyofthebrand,asearchby thatuserforbestbuycarsorbesthatchbackscouldfirstgetpopulatedbyresultswithlinks tothatparticularCarbrand,leavingothermarketleadersbehind.Pagesfeaturingproducts associatedwiththatparticularbrandcouldshowupattheverytoponthebasisofSocial Relevance. Anotheravenuethatsearchenginescouldtapintowhileexecutingthesearchprocessissifting throughthepreferencesoftopinfluencersoftheconcerneduser.Forinstance,ifauseris influencedbyapersononTwitter(theinfluencemetriccanbegaugedbyanalyzinguserreplies tohis/herinfluenceronTwitter,tweetsoftheinfluencerretweetedbytheuser,commentson theinfluencersFacebookwalletc.),thelikesanddislikesoftheinfluencerregardingatopicora productcouldformanimportantdynamicinthesearchresult. LetssayXisinfluencedbyYonsocialmedia.YconsidersthebakeryshopNickBakersthebest intown.Thisisoftenreflectedinhis/hertweets,statusupdatesetc.NowifXweretosearchfor goodbakeryshops,NickBakerscouldfigureamongthetopsearchresults. Similarly,Ysownsearchhistoryandlinkspursuedwithrespecttoacertaintopiccouldbe used,shouldXweretosearchonasimilartopicinthefuture.Ysthumbsuptothewebsiteof theNationalLibraryforinformationrelatedtoEgyptianHistorycouldresultinNationalLibrary featuringamongthetopresultsifXtooweretokeyinEgyptianhistoryintheSearchbar.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

LocationalRelevancy SearchcouldalsoexpanditstentaclestoareasofLocationalRelevancy.Locationalaspectsare oftwotypes:One,basedentirelyonthegeographicalcoordinatesoftheuserandthesearch keywordentered.Thiswouldmeanthesearchalgorithmwouldtakeintoconsiderationnotonly theaspectsofInformationalRelevancybutalsothenearnessfactorwithrespecttotheusers currentlocation.Thisaspectmaynotnecessarilycomeintoplayatalltimes,butcouldbe incorporatedwheneverappropriate.Forinstance,takingtheexampleofEgyptianHistory forward,ifthesearchresultweretoreturntheNationalLibraryandalsotheHistoricalInstitute astopresults,oneofthemcouldtakeprecedenceonthebasisoftheproximitytotheusers geographicallocation.Placerelatedsearchessuchasrestaurants,coffeeshops,shopping centers,healthspasetc.couldallutilizethelocationalaspecteffectivelytodisplayintelligent resultswiththeobjectiveofmakingtheentireusersearchexperienceeasyandcomfortable. ThesecondaspectcombinesbothSocialandLocationalRelevancyaspectsinSearch.Imagine asituationwhereacaraccidentvictimweretofindadoctorimmediatelyandmakean appointmentdirectlyfromthesceneoftheaccident.Withtheincorporationofsocialdataon platformslikeGoogle+andFacebook,theaccidentvictimcouldseewhohis/herfriendshave likedor+1d,thusactingasapersonalrecommendationwithouthavingtoexplicitlycallthem. Similarly,wheninabookstore,theuserssmartphonecouldautomaticallyrecommendbooks thattheirfriendsorinfluencersboughtfromthesamebookstore.Forexample,Googlecould useitsGoogleLatitudeservicestogatherinformationonusercheckinandthenonthebasis ofthesearchhistoryoftheuserinthepastweekaswellasusingthesocialdataoftheuser, makeintelligentrecommendationsinstantly.Asimilaruserexperiencecouldbeofferedby FacebookwithitsFacebookPlacesservicebycombiningcheckindataandsocialdatathatis presentinabundantmeasureonitspopularsocialnetworkingplatform.

PersonalityRelevancy PersonalityRelevancyopensuppossibilitiesforSearchincorporatingsomeformofartificial intelligenceinthefuture.Basedondailydynamicdataintheformofbrowserdata,socialdata (Facebooklikes,comments,statusupdates,tweets,retweets)andsearchdata,Searchengines couldhelpanalyzeuserpersonalityandmakeaccuratepredictionsonuserpreferencesinthe future.Incorporatingthisintelligencecouldconstituteanimportantdeterminantintheoverall searchprocess. Forinstance,asearchforclimatechangeinthepastfewweeksandinteractionwithpeople associatedwithGreenpeaceonFacebookandTwitterwouldbeagoodindicatortowardsa

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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

userbeingaclimateenthusiast.AnyfutureSearchresultsforthisparticularusercouldthenbe calibratedaccordingly,givingmoreweighttopageshavingaconnectionwithenvironment, climateorrelatedtopicsandissues. VideoandmoviesharingplatformslikeYouTubeandNetflixareagainagoldmineofuser personalitydata.AusersvideolikesonYouTubeorNetflixcouldbeincorporatedinfuture onlinesearchactivityoftheuser.Theprocesscouldalsobereversedwithinformationonuser behaviourcollectedfromotherplatformssuchasblog,socialnetworkingplatformsbeingused torecommendvideos.ThechoiceofmovieswatchedonNetflixisarichinformationbankon usersmovietastesandpersonality.Istheusermoreinterestedinwatchingwar/drama, comedyoractionflicks?Thefavouritemoviegenrescouldtellalotabouttheuserspsycheand personalitymakeup. UserdatafromsocialmusicplatformslikeTurntablecouldgiveoutqualityinformationabout anindividualsrecentmusictastes.Musictastesofhis/herinfluencersonsocialmediacould alsobeanotherimportantvariable.Combiningthesetwovariablescouldgiveafair understandingoftheusersmusicpreferences. InGameuseractivityandbehaviourisagainarichdatasourcetoextrapolateuserpersonality. Thechoicesmadebytheuserwhileplayingagamecouldpresentanalystswithdatathatcould playakeyroleinmappingindividualbiasesandinclinationstocertainpersonalitytraits.This datacouldfurtherbeincorporatedinSearchresultsinthefuture. MicrobloggingplatformTwitteralsoconstitutesanabundantsourceofuserdatawhichcould bestudiedtogaugeuserinterestsoveraperiodoftime.Thenatureoflinkssharedorthetopics andissuesoftentweetedaboutcouldallaggregatetowardsformationofadatabankthatcould providemeaningfulinsightsonausersthoughtprocessandnaturalleanings. Browseractivitydatacouldprovetobeacompletedatapackageintermsofuseractivityand interests.Browserintegrationwithsocialplatformscouldpavethepathforestablishinga bridgebetweenSocialandthewiderInternet.Imagineifdataintheformofdailylogof websitesvisited,searchkeywordsentered,locationsvisitedthroughGoogleMapsorFacebook Placescouldallcombinetogethertoformaroughpersonalitysketchoftheuserwhichcouldbe animportantadditiontothePersonalityRelevancyfactorinSearchresults. PersonalityRelevancyinmanywayscanautomateSearch.ThechallengeforfutureSearch paradigmslienotinhowandwhatresultsshouldgetpopulatedafteraSearchquery,butwhat theSearchqueryitselfismostlikelytobe.PersonalityRelevancyaddressesthischallenge.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

3. THEBIGTWO:GOOGLEANDFACEBOOK StrategicMoves
FacebookhassurpassedGoogleindynamicdatacollection.Statusupdates,contentsharing, likesandcommentspresentFacebookwithahugeopportunitytotapintouserdata,wereit tothinkofenteringthesearchbusinessinthefuture.Whichitismostlikelytodo!Its partnershipwithMicrosofthasopenedupnewpossibilitiestoacquiresearchdatathrough Bing.ThedevelopingpartnershipbetweenFacebookandMicrosoftcouldessentiallyturnoutto bethebiggestthreattoGooglessearchmonopoly.Thecruxofthisassertionliesinthe possibilityofcombiningthetwobroadcategoriesofdatathatwehavediscussedabove.A searchresultpoweredbyalgorithmswhichrankspagesnotonlyonthebasisofInformational Relevancy(asGoogledoesitnow),butalsoonthebasisofrecommendationsandlikesfrom friendsontheimmediatesocialnetworkoftheuser.Searchcouldtakeacriticalturninits journey,ifthetwoideasmeetataconvergencepoint. FacebookhasmadeanaggressivepushtowardsfillingtheotherhalfoftheSearchcontainer (thefirsthalfbeingthedynamicdataofusers,whichFacebookalreadyhasatightgripon). First,itrealizedtheimportanceofcapturingtheEmaildataspacebyintegratingEmailfeatures withitsMessagingservice.IthasalsopartneredwithMicrosoftBingandhaslentsupporttoa fastgrowingsocialbrowserRockmelt,makingitsintentionsclear.TwoareaswhereFacebook founditselfweak:1)staticdatarelatedtoSearchandEmailand2)dynamicdatathrough browseractivity;bothhavebeenpluggedbytheserecentstrategicmoves. TherecenttieupbetweenFacebookandleadingondemandmoviestreamingwebsiteNetflix shouldbeseeninlightofFacebookslargerstrategyofexpandingitsonlinefootprint.With GooglesYouTubestealingthemarchinvideosharing,Facebookhasfounditselfleftbehindin theareaofsocialdatarelatedtomovie/videosharing.IntegrationwithNetflixisamoveto counterthis. FacebookssocialstrategyisreflectedinNetflixsuseragreement.Thetermsofagreementat theuserendstates,Byconnectingyouraccounts,yourFacebookfriendswillbeabletoseethat youreaNetflixmemberaswellaswhatyouvewatched,rated,whatsinyourqueueandother informationaboutyouruseoftheNetflixservice.Youllbeabletoseethesameinformation aboutyourfriendswhoparticipate.Netflixmaypersonalizeandotherwiseenhanceyour experiencebasedonyourFacebookinformation,suchasyourLikesandInterests. Googleontheotherhandfindsitselfshackled.Whileithasphenomenalcontrolonstaticdata intheformofsearchrelateduserbehaviourandGmaildata,itlackssubstantiallyonthe
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

dynamicdatafront.Googlesrecentpushtowardsadedicatedsocialnetworkingplatformisa resultofthisrealization.WiththeGoogle+launch,theprincipalfactorthatGoogleseekstoplug inthishighintensitybattleistheonechinkinitsarmour:dynamicdataintheformofsocial behaviourandchoices.Ithasmadeaslowstartonthisfrontwith+1.Still,forGoogle,thereisa mountaintoclimb.FailuretodosowouldmeanaseriousdamagetotheSearchmonopolyit hasenjoyedovertheyears. Figure2Ecosystemsinplacecurrently(TheBigTwo)

Ecosystem

Google

Facebook

BasicSocialPlatform

SocialGaming Search

BrowserData

Bloggingdata/nichelevel interaction SocialMusic EmailData Video/MovieSharing

IntegratingtheEcosystems:Thekeytothefuture
ThefourRelevancyfactorsthatwediscussedearlier;Informational,Social,Locationaland PersonalitycanindeedbefusedtogethertorevolutionizetheSearchparadigminthefuture.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

Thefoundationalelementsrequiredtoachievethisarealreadyinplaceforthetwogiantsinthe onlinespace,GoogleandFacebook. Googleatpresentisprimarilyadatadrivencompany.Whatneedstobeunderstoodhereis thatmuchofthedatathatGooglehasisofaonedimensionalnature.SearchandEmaildata areneverenoughtounderstanduserpersonalityandchoicescompletely.Itonlyaccountsfor oneofthemanypillarsrequiredtosketchuserprofiles,thoughtprocessandbehavioural patterns.However,dataofthatnatureisanexcellentbarometertogaugegroupbehaviourata macrolevel.Googlehasaphenomenalleadhere.Whereitdoesfallbehindisonthesocial datafront,whichembodieshumanthinkingpatternsmoreimplicitly. Ontheotherhand,platformssuchasFacebookandQuorahaveaconsiderableleadwhenit comestomicrolevelchoicesattheindividuallevel.Likes,commentsandrecommendations presentagatewaytothehumanconsciousness. UsershavebeenuploadingtheirpersonalcontentontheInternetthroughblogs,social networksandsocialgamingplatforms.ThesuccessofQuorahasmeantsearchrelateddatais movingawayfromconventionalSearchengineslikeGoogletonewecosystemslikeQuora. QuestionsthatuptillnowwouldmostlikelybekeyedinonGooglenowfindthemselveslisted onQuoraforamoreindepthanswerfromrealpeople. ForbothGoogleandFacebook,thechallengeliesinhowtheseecosystems,whicharean abundantsourceofsubconscioususerdata,canbeintegratedtounderstandhumanchoices moredeeplyandcreateanengagingonlineexperience.Therearetwoapproachestowards integrationthatthetwogiantsseemtobeadopting:

1) Acquireorassimilateecosystemsonbaseplatform.
i. AgoodexampleofthiswouldbeZyngasgamesbuiltonabaseplatformlikeFacebook. ThisallowsbothZyngaandFacebookaccesstovaluabledatarelatedtouserpreferences andbiasesthatwetalkedaboutearlier.Googlecouldalsomakeanaggressivepush towardsaidinggrowthofsocialgamesonitssocialnetworkingplatform,Google+. FacebooksintegrationwiththerapidlygrowingInternetBrowserRockmelt.Witha browserlikeRockmelt,itcouldbiteapieceofthebrowserdatapie,whichagainisa sourceofrichsubconscioususerdata. 12 iii. Copyright2011BUZZVALVE.AllRightsReserved. FacebooksintegrationwithNetflixallowinguserstopersonalizeandenhancetheir movieexperiencebasedonFacebookinformation,suchasLikesandInterests.

ii.

TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm iv. BranchOut,apossiblecompetitortoLinkedInhasdevelopeditsarchitectureona platformlikeFacebook,integratingthealreadywellestablishednetworkofFacebook userswithitsApp.

2) Grownewecosystemsorganically.
i. Forinstance,GoogleAnswers,aproductfromGooglecoulddivertusertrafficfrom Quoratoitself,wereittoaddanimpressivesocialelementtoit. GooglespushtowardsGoogleGamesonitsnewestsocialmediaplatformGoogle+is aimedatcreatingagamingecosystemwithinthelargerGoogleframework.Theorganic growthapproachtowardsintegrationisvisible. GoogleaimstointegratebothBloggerandPicasawithGoogle+.Whileithasfound successingrowingtheseecosystemsorganicallyovertheyears,itwillnowintegrate themtoitsbaseplatformGoogle+.

ii.

iii.

BothGoogleandFacebookunderstandtheimportanceofintegrationandconsolidationofthe largersocialmediaspace.Therearestillmanystandaloneecosystemsthatoccupya substantialchunkofthesocialrealestate.Thechallengeforthetwogiantsliesinhowtheycan tapintothoseecosystemsbyeitherofthetwoapproachesmentionedabove. QuoraandTurntablecouldappealtobothGoogleandFacebook.Eitherofthemlacksan ecosystemcenteredonMusic.Inadditiontothat,bothhavefailedtocreateanichelevel interactionecosystem.GooglesBloggerhastastedsomesuccessonthisfront,buttheplatform hasntgainedmuchtractionamongusersduetolackofsocialfeatures.Bloggersintegration withGoogle+,amovealreadyinitiatedbyGooglecouldaddressthisproblem.ForFacebook, popularbloggingplatformTumblr,providesanopportunitytoownasubstantialchunkofthe BloggingDataPie.WithBranchOutcapitalizingonFacebooksvastuserbase,opportunityfor GoogletointegrateitssocialplatformGoogle+withLinkedIndefinitelyexists. Twitterisyetanothersourceofrichuserdatawhichcanprovideagatewaytounderstanding userpersonalitieswell.GooglesexperimentwithRealtimeSearchisagoodmoveforward integratingTwitterstreamswithitssearchresults.Thefutureopensuppossibilitiesof incorporatinguserstreamstotrackuserpersonalityandintereststofurtherrefineSearch results.HowandwhereTwitterfitsinthelargersocialuniversewillbeinterestingtowatch. Figure3andFigure4helpusunderstandthepresentconfigurationofthesocialuniverseand possiblerealignmentsandchangestothesociallandscapeinthefuture.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

Figure3TheSocialUniverse(Presentscenario)

Figure4TheSocialUniverse(Possiblefuturerealignments)

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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

4. CONCLUSION
Overthecourseofthepaper,weanalyzedthegrowthofnewecosystemsaroundpopularsocial networkingplatformslikeFacebookandTwitter,thenucleusofthesocialuniverse.Weargued howopportunitiesforthefutureresideinecosystemsgrowingaroundthisbasicnucleus.Later, weidentifiedhowtheseecosystemshavethepotentialtoaltertheSearchparadigm.Itisinthis contextthatwestudiedthemovesmadebytheBigTwooftheonlineworld,Googleand Facebook. Thepossibilitiesthatlieaheadareimmense.First,thereisamplespaceforgrowthofnew ecosystemswhichareyettocaptureourmindspace.Newformsandlevelsofhuman interactionscouldresultinnewecosystemsthatcouldinturnbecomerichsourcesofsub conscioususerdata.Whilethisholdstrue,therealchallengethatstarestechnologygiants GoogleandFacebookishowinformationderivedfromnewecosystemscanbeusedboth effectivelyandbyethicalmeanstorevolutionizetheSearchparadigmandredefinetheonline experiencecompletely. Withmorecomplexdatapatternsemerginginthefuture,socialnetworksintegratedwiththe largerWebcanprovetobeafertilegroundforartificialintelligencetogrowinthefuture.The possibilityoftheWebturningintoapersonalintelligentmachineforordinaryusersisarealistic proposition(notthatitisntalready!).Thesedevelopmentscouldalsoposeaseriouschallenge touserprivacyandthedepersonalizationofindividuallives.Suchoutcomescouldalsocreate unwantedupheavalsinsocietyanditisonlyappropriatethatcompaniesandtechnologists keepuserinterestsinmindwhileadvancingwithbiggerstridesintothefuture.
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TheSocialEcosystems:DisruptingtheSearchparadigm

NOTESANDREFERENCES
REFERENCES
1. http://www.caymanmama.com/2011/07/07/LawyerMarketingFacebookSocial SearchGameChangerIsGoogleWorried_201107079499.html 2. http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/03/googlesixfrontwar/ 3. http://bhorowitz.com/2011/06/28/whythebrowser matters/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+type pad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsilicon_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29 4. SocialGamingInteractionsbyShannonAppelcline http://www.skotos.net/articles/TTnT_138.phtml 5. http://blogs.investors.com/click/index.php/home/60tech/2341netflixsdeep integrationwithfacebookunderway 6. http://reneperras.visionsmartnews.com/socialmediamarketinglikeiton facebook_4205.html 7. http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/07/11/whygooglesnewsecondgenerationsocial networkgooglewillthreatenfacebook/ 8. http://www.bnet.com/blog/corporategovernance/whythetweetismightierthanthe ad/787?tag=fdfeatureRoto;fdfeatureRoto2
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