Google is not currently dominant in personal search, ceding much of that territory to Facebook and LinkedIn. This week they announced plans to rectify the situation with an expansion of Google Profiles. Search Engine Land provided a rundown of the new program, including an unplanned feature that could expose Gmail addresses through search. Tech Crunch blogger MG Siegler recently switched companies from Venture Beat and was in a good position to discuss the need for standards relating to profiles so that they can remain updated and accessible. The All Facebook blog noted that Google might soon challenge Facebook's huge advantage in identifying the profiles that are most relevant to your social graph.
The move will certainly further blur the lines between search and social media, which John Batelle emphatically characterized as a 'big deal'. Epicenter warned users to be very afraid of a program that could allow Google to crank up the monetization by telling advertisers who you are, what you search for, what you watch on YouTube and who your friends are.
Where is the profile situation heading? TechCrunch provided one possible scenario by highlighting the impressive Firefox extension Identify which can allow users to identify people 'with 2 keystrokes'.
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