Twitter vs. Google

By rerockstar • March 28th, 2010

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The battle of instant results.

I had a computer-geek question the other day and my solution to the problem made me realize just how much the world of internet has changed. I’m a Google lover through and through. I use many of their services, from Google Voice to Google Maps to Google Analytics. I even like to check out what’s happening in Google Labs so I can see what the company might bring to us in the future. In other words, you can consider me a big fan of all things Google.

I’m also a big fan of Twitter. I follow real estate industry people, local San Antonio residents, and a mish-mash of people who I find interesting. What makes Twitter so great for me is the instant connection to hundreds of brilliant minds on an array of topics. With the real estate industry folks, we talk about the ins and out of real estate – new laws, marketing ideas, how to make real estate better, listings…you get the picture. With locals, it’s about everyday life – San Antonio things to do and see, places to eat, how their day is going, what’s the latest news, etc. For me, it’s an excellent glimpse of what is going on at any given moment.

Search or Ask?

When the computer-geek question popped into my head, I had two options – jump on Google and run a search or turn to some people I know on Twitter and ask for their thoughts. I chose Twitter. Sure, Google could provide me with page after page of relevant material to answer my question, but with Twitter I was able to get links to a few articles from @JohnLauber that gave me exactly what I needed. Instead of having to search through Google’s results, I was given two links to articles that gave me exactly what I needed to know. These results were recommended by someone I trust, so I knew the links were quality articles that I wouldn’t be disappointed in. With Google I might have had to click quite a few links to find something as in-depth as what Twitter was able to provide.

The death of search?

I’ve heard people say that Twitter will be the end of search as we know it. I disagree, but I definitely think services like Twitter can change the way we search. Being able to ask a group for their collective wisdom on a given topic gives search a whole new meaning. Look at Trulia Voices for an example of this at work. Consumers approaching the real estate industry with questions and getting multiple answers from the source. (We won’t get into the trouble with Trulia and how the industry approaches it – maybe I’ll get into that in another post.)

Collective knowledge from large groups can make search more interesting, focused, and instantaneous. Throw a question out on Twitter and see what kind of results you receive. You might need to follow some new people to get the answers you need, but it’s a great way to meet new people and broaden your knowledge base. Google isn’t dead and I doubt it will be in my lifetime. There’s just more new ways to get information than ever before.

photo courtesy of newagecrap