Google +1 gets a -1

Why is Google messing with my search results?

I was doing a search the other day for something mundane, I think it was for movie times or fondue; whatever it was, it wasn't of importance.  The important thing is that when my search results came up there was a picture of my friend's face and a blurb that read something like "Bob likes this" or "Bob +1'ed this".  After processing this infomation for a moment I closed my laptop so fast I was scared that I may have broken it.  Is this what we have come to, incorporating social media into search?

I love my friend Bob and all (an no his name is not actually Bob), but I really do not want his opinion when it comes to anything.  He has horrible taste in movies, music, books and fondue.  We have different opinions on almost everything; just because we're friends does not mean that we must have similar interests in everything we do.  If I wanted an opinion I would have called, Facebooked or Tweeted Bob and asked him his advice, not have run a Google search.

Search should be just that, a search: aggregate the data of all Internet users and deliver me the most relevant and useful links!  Social media and search occupy two separate spheres of the Internet: one for communicating with friends, strangers and former high school friends who you have no interest in anymore, and the other for, well... search.

I fear Google becoming an "interests" page where the top search results are only those that one's friends have +1'ed.  I may be jumping the gun here, but Google is a trendsetter and if this is embraced, I fear for where search is headed.

Google+ and Business

Tonight while having my post-work beer I decided to pick up my aging mac and read some of my favorite blogs.  While reading, one post caught my eye: Search Engine Land's post about Google and Business accounts (article here).

If you read Mashable or follow any sort of tech news you would have come across an issue Google+ has been having with business accounts.  For some reason Google has decided that it doesn't want businesses creating Plus accounts.  Over time they have been deleting business's pages and according to Search Engine Land's post they have recently started deleting high profile business pages.  Mashable, one of the most popular pages on Google+ was deleted, but then reinstated under the guise of being on a "trial" basis.

Lame.

I love Mashable just as much of the next guy but c'mon Google you can't haphazardly enforce your policy!  It seems to be that Google doesn't want to alienate most of its early adopters, the tech heads that read Mashable. 

In the future Google is going to need businesses and organizations to make their social experiment successful.  Google is taking a huge hit developing and maintaining Google+, and they are going to need to monetize at some point in time; pissing the businesses off now may backfire in the future.  The point could be made that businesses will go to where ever the people are... but is that really true?  

Look at the top social networks, a key feature is that they allow people direct interaction with organizations and companies.  Imagine MTV hosting the VMAs without twitter; imagine watching any commercial on television without hearing "find us on Facebook".  Linked In is completely based around connecting people through companies.

Google should realize that an integral part of social networks is a kind of "you scratch my back, I scratch yours" relationship with businesses.

I know want to be friends with Mashable, my favorite beer brand and my favorite sneaker.  If myself and others like me are not allowed to communicate with them, not only will Google lose on the business end, but also on the people end.