Encroaching may be the wrong word. When it comes to search Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is king, and barring something truly shocking, it will remain on this throne for the foreseeable future. However, both LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) have decided they need to improve their place in search in order to keep users around longer each time they visit. It’s a simple matter of “stickability” according to a recent piece by Carol Kopp in USA Today newspaper. In the case of LinkedIn, it is their hope that as people stick around the site more users will become more interested in their premium services. Facebook, as always, is all about the advertising money. With each search, users will quite simply see more pages as they receive the results of their queries. More page views, more advertisements, more money.
I’m reasonable certain I’m on LinkedIn based on the amount of emails I receive from them, but for the life of me I can’t remember signing up, completing a profile, etc. But I do drink a lot. Something I should probably not mention on the work dominated platform that is LinkedIn, unless of course I’m looking for work as a wine, beer, spirits writer. LinkedIn is presently enjoying over 200 million users. While this number certainly pales in comparison to Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s billion plus users it’s still an impressive figure. Given how laser focused LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) on its users professional life, this number means that 1 out of 10 people in the world are looking for their dream jobs or at least puttering around in search of upward professional mobility through contact building and self-promotion. LinkedIn’s new search, which was unveiled and outlined on Monday, is designed not only for users to spend more time each visit, but for users to have more reasons to log-in more often. Again, all this is being done in the hopes that users will stumble across premium services that LinkedIn offers that users may of been unaware.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s Graph Search, I must admit, is quite fun and no small amount of addictive. As it gradually rolls out, it essentially gives users access to everything that everyone has ever posted on Facebook dependent on their security settings. If you are looking for lesbians who have traveled to Guatemala and like movies starring Diane Lane, Graph Search will find them for you. Connecting with the same people is up to you. There is an undeniable fun in Graph Search and the results guarantee that you will be fed more advertisements and more focused advertisements given your search parameters.
While Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is certainly not quaking in their boots, it is a big step for both companies in terms of “stickability.”
