So why would Google want Twitter? (Part 2)
Of course, the charge against Twitter as a search engine is that it’s mainly short emotional responses to things, though that could also be a strength. If you want to find out hard facts then Google exists though if you want to get a general sense of how something is going down in society then Twitter is a godsend. It would take you hours of reading traditional blogs before you got half the range of opinions you would from five minutes of Twitter searching.
The next question is, who would want to search like this? Well, one example is brands, just think about the number of times that companies annoy you on a daily basis. If you’re a regular tweeter then the chances that you’ll blog about your displeasure, if you and several other people are doing the same thing then a pretty clear picture of that company’s public profile emerges. If you’re a market researcher or a PR consultant, Twitter you a click away from the best focus group ever. On a consumer level this system works for questions like, ‘Is the new Bond film any good?’ ‘What’s the new U2 album like?’
But what about the money, how will Google squeeze a profit out of their investment. Well, search engine marketing’s worked well so far. More of the same I guess.
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