Social Search: Changing the Game on Search Engine Rankings

The concept of “social search” is providing the means for users to influence search results, either for themselves or for others. Sites such as del.icio.us and Yahoo! Bookmarks enable visitors to create their own sharable bookmarks and tag Web sites with keywords. The tags that are used are based on the user’s perception of the site. Similar to product review sites, users influence other users by sharing their opinions.