Search, plus Your World won’t reveal any of your private information that wasn’t already available.  In fact, you and your friends’ information on Google+ and Picasa has been accessible for a while; the only difference was you had to search for it in a different place. Now, it’s all combined with your normal web search. As a result, social networking information from your friends will be at the top of your Google search results.  Sure, it’s a little more “in-your-face” but Google users can always disable the feature if they don’t like it.

What’s it like?

It might be disturbing to see you your friends’ personal Google+ status feeds at the top of a normal web search. In the past, Google searches didn’t include such highly personalized information.  But basically, your experience will be like this:  Let’s say you want to see recent photos of your 10-year-old nephew, Johnny. Well, simply type in your nephew’s name. Any recent photos posted by your sister on Picasa or Google+ will appear at the top of your search results.

Alternatively, you might need a new muffler for your car, so you search “Best Muffler Shops in Miami Beach.” At the top, you’ll see any posts made by your friends relating to those search words. Maybe a friend commented on a great muffler shop in a status update (which could be really helpful information); or, since Miami Beach is also part of the search, you might see some pictures of friends spending time at the beach. Below the personalized results, you’ll see the normal links relevant to local muffler shops – and hopefully you’ll find a good place to fix your car.

Don’t worry, your privacy is still in tact

It’s important to note that Google has followed through on its extreme commitment to the privacy of your information. Search, plus Your World is just as its name implies. It’s a regular Google search that also includes information from your world, and only from your world.  Therefore, with regard to your privacy, your personal information will only appear in the search results of people who you’ve already given access to it – whether that happens to be the entire world or just a couple of friends. Also, the information specific to your web search results will be encrypted so only you and your web browser can see it.  It won’t be possible for a network administrator or anyone else to spy on your search results or those of your friends.

Again, if you’ve shared information or pictures publicly, it could appear in the search results of anyone. But if you’ve shared pictures or posts with only certain individuals, then that information will only appear in the search results of those individuals.  Still, one setback could be older posts that you’ve forgotten about.  Perhaps 10 years ago you were living a crazy life or saying things you might be embarrassed of today.  Well, if someone searches on a topic relevant to one of those embarrassing things – there it will be!

 What the critics are saying

Not everyone is happy about Search, plus Your World. Some businesses worry that the personalized information at the top of search results will interfere with their customers’ ability to find them. Indeed, if you are searching for muffler shops in Miami Beach, you’ll have to scroll past all the information relevant to your family and friends at the top of the results before you can find the muffler shop that’s going to fix your car.

Much to the chagrin of these businesses, they will need to have a presence on Google+ in order to continue appearing at the top of your search results. Not only that, but they will need to entice you to add them into one of your Google+ circles before they can show up in your personalized results. In this regard, businesses who establish a sweeping presence on Google+ will have a distinct advantage in terms of appearing at the top of Google searches.  And this is why some critics are saying Search, plus Your World is just a sneaky way for Google to expand the size and scope its Google+ network.

 What the proponents are saying

Google and other proponents are touting the many positive benefits of Search, plus Your World. They say that Google is becoming a search engine that will strengthen human relationships and the connections people have with family and friends. They refer to Search, plus Your World as a “Social Search,” as opposed to a traditional web and Internet search. Indeed, there is a vast amount of personal information available on social networks and photo/video sharing websites – why not make that searchable too?

 What’s next for Google, Search plus Your World?

As you may already know, personalized search results with Google are nothing new under the sun. For years, Google has tailored search results to specific users based on their usage statistics. For example, users who often search about wine or vacations in Napa Valley may find websites relating to those topics more frequently in their search results. They will also see advertising related to those topics on the Google website. In this sense, Search, plus Your World is a natural evolution of Google’s commitment to customizing search results so they are highly relevant to individual users.

At this point, Google’s web crawlers don’t have access to Facebook and Twitter’s vast databases of personal information, so information from those and similar sites won’t be included in your search results.  However, Google says it’s open to the idea of including this kind of data from Twitter and Facebook should they choose to share it.  Therefore, the Search, plus Your World could be the sign of some very big changes to come in terms of what is and isn’t searchable via Google’s search engine.  If Facebook, Twitter, and others open up, it will be some very big news for Google and the current structure of the Internet.

 Check it out for yourself!

All in all, you should be relieved to know that Search, plus Your World will not be broadcasting you and your friends’ private information all over the world (any more so than it’s already being done). It’s just that your Google search will look a little different, along with some familiar faces of your friends embedded inside. And of course, you can always disable the feature if you don’t like it.

So, if you haven’t already done it, log into Google now and see if Search, plus Your World is currently active on your account. Then you can decide for yourself whether it’s annoying, useless or the best thing since sliced bread.

Have you noticed YouTube’s slick new look? Google has revamped its video sharing service, moving YouTube further away from its homespun origins. In fact, Google made statements last month that it planned to include more content from professional sources, while organizing videos into clearly defined channels so users can better browse the content they’re looking for.

The updated interface is reminiscent of what you might receive with a standard cable TV box, displaying different channel categories and other options to choose from.  Whether it’s music, comedy, gaming, sports, news or more, you can select from a large number of channels catered to different interests.  You can even create a channel tailored to your tastes.  Rather than stopping by for a couple minutes, Google wants users clicking on other entertaining videos. The goal is to keep viewers interested, engaged and spending more time with YouTube and its sidebar advertisers.

The new YouTube is esthetically superior with scrolling, updating content providing constant stimulation. There’s a news feed reminiscent of other social media platforms showing status changes and activities of other users. Viewers can also connect their Facebook and Google+ accounts to YouTube in order to share what they’re watching and recommend videos to friends.

Watch the Video Presentation of the New Youtube Interface:

Uploaders will benefit from new channel templates designed for different needs. For example, some uploaders only have three or four videos whereas others have thousands of videos that need to be presented so their fans can easily search and access them. Uploaders will also enjoy innovative features to keep viewers entertained – even if they haven’t added new video content in a while.

Google wants YouTube uploaders to start thinking like TV channels, which provide specific content for a specific audience. To encourage that, Google plans to organize new content from the moment its uploaded into specific categories. This will improve searchability, while more efficiently pairing viewers with the kind of content they’re looking for.

In that regard, recent upgrades will likely improve YouTube’s ad-revenue generation by enabling Google to tailor advertising to specific tastes. The more time one user spends viewing specific channel categories, the easier it will be to target advertising directly to that particular user.

So, is the new YouTube as good as Cable TV and what’s in store for 2012?  Well, you probably can’t find the most recent episode of your favorite TV shows streaming on YouTube at this point, but it does appear Google is laying the groundwork for something that could one day corner the TV market. Indeed, perhaps you’ll soon be skipping from Jersey Shore to the latest double rainbow viral video with a single a click of a button!

On December 1, Google jetted to new heights by launching an improved version of its flight search feature including stylish visual upgrades and cutting-edge features that are both fun, and interactive, and highly competitive.  Indeed, it appears that Google has taken the flight search experience to another level.

In terms of usability, perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the site is the visual map feature that instantly updates as users complete the flight search fields.  Users can also manipulate the map itself by clicking on the city of origin and then the destination.  Once the origin is selected, the map immediately populates with cities reachable by flights from that origin.  The map also updates its display with the lowest flight cost next to each destination city as different points of origin are selected.  What a fun feature for travelers who want to let price dictate the destination of an impromptu getaway.  Finally, simple arrow buttons allow users to toggle departure dates forward and backward through time.

Probably the most desirable feature is the way search results instantly update as users manipulate the search fields with different flight criteria.  As information is changed in the search fields, the overhead map constantly repopulates itself with new information while a list of specific flights is created and updated below.  The interface gives users a feeling of instant interactivity, which until now has been missing in flight search portals that normally require users to wait for their search results to appear.  Links are provided alongside the list of flights, allowing users to purchase tickets directly from the airline.  Indeed, Google does not sell the tickets itself but rather acts as an interface connecting consumers to the actual airline providing the flights.

At this time, Google Flight Search only works for US domestic flights, however it is a decided improvement from the first incarnation of the portal last September, which was comparatively text-laden and not very efficient.  The new version is nimbler, faster, and gives users more control to find the best priced and most convenient flight routes they require.

Try it out.  It’s actually fun to look at all the different places you could go and how much it would coast to get you there though the visual and interactive interface.  Just don’t click too many buttons, or you might find yourself on a flight to Aspen for a last minute snow adventure!

Watch the video presentation here:

On November 7, Google announced that its social media platform, Google Plus, would allow businesses to create pages within its social network.  Previously, Google Plus was strictly a way for people to connect with people, and only individuals were permitted to create pages, but now Google Plus will serve as a gateway for connecting people and businesses as well.

Google Plus is Google’s attempt to capture some of the market share currently occupied by Facebook.  Although it is still comparatively small, with 40 Million users compared to Facebook’s 800 Million, Google Plus is growing.  Now, with the addition of businesses, the social media network is showing sings of what could be a very promising future, especially for business.

From a business marketing perspective, one of the most useful aspects of Google Plus is the circle feature.  Individual users will be able to demonstrate their brand loyalty for specific businesses by adding them to one of their circles.  Likewise, businesses can add the people following them to one of their circles.  With circles, companies can customize and tailor specific messages to specific groups of consumers. For example, Brivin Corp is always kept at the forefront of business technology, which may have two very different categories of followers. One of them is from their offices in Brazil and the other is from its offices in Miami, Florida. You could create Spanish or Portuguese speaking circle for customers in South America and a circle for English speaking customers in North America as a Global Company.

Then you could tailor messages specifically for those audiences.  Best of all, when you categorize your customers into different circles, they will not be aware that you’ve done it.  The circle feature gives companies more freedom to express what they want to whom they want, when they want.

Google Plus for businesses also has a teleconferencing component called Hangout. Businesses can create a network, and anyone logged into that network will have the ability to participate in a video conferencing call.

But that’s not all.  Google Plus is also allowing celebrities and sports teams to create pages.  Indeed, the possibilities for marketing and branding through Google Plus are endless.  These and other features, combined with the fact that the platform is already integrated with the most dominant marketing force on the Internet, could very well make Google Plus for businesses a success.