Google, we have a problem.
Thanks to Dave Winer for pointing me to this:
"The real-time web is not the threat. Google can index data in seconds. The larger issue is when search engines can't see data."
This is Google's Matt Cutts tweet on the recent set of discussions sparked by my post and other comments earlier this week on the potential threat Twitter poses to the core Google search franchise.
I find this tweet fascinating, and actually, an admission of the issue. Why?
First off, as Dave W. is quick to point out, Twitter could absolutely limit access to the data. There are plenty of ways to do this without limiting the service users love so much. Yes, all the posts are on public web pages and would remain there, but I can think of several ways Twitter could keep a real leg up on the data.
But, let's assume Google can see and use the data as much as it wants. I think that is likely to be the case. The real issue is they won't! Google is committed to their method, their algorithm, their "indexing." Matt admits this. Google has billions of capex, hundreds of PhDs, and years of massive success behind their formula. They can incorporate Twitter data into their index and make their search marginally better. It will be one of hundreds of inputs. My point is Twitter has the data for a whole new system that has the potential to be radically better and cheaper (no need to cache the entire internet!). That is the only way Google can even possibly be threatened. Microsoft is trying to replicate Google's approach. It has and will fail. Google is world class at what it does. Only a disruption could threaten it. That is the point behind this whole discussion. Twitter is indeed a disruption.
Finally, Matt confirms this is already happening. Where did we get the best data on how Google thinks about this issue? TWITTER! And, look at this comment to my earlier post:
I use search.twitter for everything now. I ask my my followers on Twitter their opinions on new movies before I go to Google or even Answers on Yahoo... Twitter is rapidly growing for real time results and answers. The information you see on your feed beats television or Google hands down...
Denying Twitter has unique information on the ranking of web content is denial. But, it also does not mean Google is dead. No way. I am just saying Twitter has more to bring to that quest than the billions being spent by Yahoo, Microsoft and others.
