Why Facebook’s and Google’s Social Searches won’t Work

Facebook will use curated search to rank the popularity of search results according to a link’s popularity in one’s social graph. Google’s Plus 1 button will work in a similar way, in that it will show people search results based on how their friends ranked their sites they visited. I’ve said in various blogs these are mistakes because they are based on the assumption that where my friends from 20 years ago, who now live 1,000 miles away, eat dinner or shop matters to me.

When it comes to social search, Google and Facebook should consider each person’s social radii. That is that they must consider the physical and relational distance between people. Google’s thus far failed in social media, but the average Facebook user has 130 friends. Of those 130 friends, each user may only maintain regular contact with 80. And of those 80, a user may only live within 50 miles of 55 of them. And of those 55, while the average Facebook user may know people in that circle of friends from work, school, church, and other organizations, they may only be good friends with 20 of them. Of course, the only number I know of for a fact is the 130.

Google and Facebook should develop a social media algorithm—a ranking system that groups users according to interests rather than common acquaintances. They should send users within those groups results based on the rankings of others within their group rather than friends they knew 20 years ago who now live 1,000 miles away.

What do you think? Will social search work as it is? Should they develop social media algorithms based on social radii, or do you have a different idea?

Stay social my friends,

Erick