Google is still the king of the search engines and the term “Google It” it synonymous for searching for something on the web. It is still my favorite traditional search engine and I still use it when searching on a very focused topic or looking for facts. However, there is so much information out there that unless you choose very focused keywords, or take the time to do an advanced search, what I’m looking for is no longer returned in the first few results and much of what is found can be dated. More and More I find myself using social media searches when I want to do general research, find peoples opinions, or when looking for related information to a specific topic. I’m confident that if you try it you too will slowly find yourself Google’n less and less. But watch out for Google Wave (preview below)
Social media sites almost all provide search functions, here are some my favorite sites.
General Information Searches
Business to Business Searching – Networking/Contacts
Answers to Questions
Location Based searching (Restaunts, things to do etc..)
Google of course has noticed this trend and will soon be releasing a new alternative to the traditional search engine, integrating internet searches with your mail and social media services. Keep an eye out for Google Wave it promises to revolutionize the way people search for information, network and connect with people. You can find out more at their preview site http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html
