(Image source: Google )


BY MALLORY PERRYMAN


Tech bloggers say Google search has been “plus-ified”.


The search titan has officially integrated its social sphere-- Google Plus-- into its search platform.


Here’s how it works :

The service is called “Search plus your world”. When G+ users use the tool-- they’ll get regular old web results plus updates, photos, or user profiles from their G+ circles.

A GigaOM blogger says -- this is a game changer.

“This kind of tight integration of Google+ and Google’s search is a remarkable step for the company... it could give Google+ a huge boost and finally help the social network to catch up with millions of consumers that have been holding out on giving it a try.”

Google reports it has about 49 million G+ users in the U.S. A guest blogger for Tech Crunch says -- that number needs a boost if Google wants its personalized system to catch fire.

“The only source of social data Google uses to personalize its search results is Google+...For the time being then, Google’s interpretation of what ‘your world’ looks like will remain very limited – maybe even to the point where those personal results you do see aren’t even that useful because almost all your real friends are on Facebook and Twitter instead of Google+.”

Speaking of Facebook-- a VentureBeat blogger says Google’s new search feature may finally even up the score between G+ and its social networking rival. Not in user counts-- but in ad dollars.


“Facebook has for some time been stealing Google’s ad revenue due to its ability to serve highly targeted ads based on social graph data. With Google+, Google is making a bid to acquire and build a social graph just as rich as Facebook’s — richer, in fact.”

But does building a social presence fall in line with Google’s original mission? A senior editor for the Atlantic argues -- Google set out to organize the world’s information-- not Google’s information.

“Google was built to sit atop the entire Internet. In the drive to integrate Google Plus, they have had to backburner comprehensiveness. The pre-social Google would have attempted to integrate all social networks into its searches. “

You can opt out of G+ results by toggling to the “global” rather than “personal” option in the right corner of the Google Search page.