• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 15, 2010

What if Google Search became the social network rather than a portal on the Web like Facebook or Twitter. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been quoted by analysts as wanting to take full advantage of the technologies by tying them together. Rather than launch a formal application, recent events could suggest Google's social network -- Google Me -- really ties together the Web as THE social network. That's something I described in July.

Now Reuters reports Google CEO Eric Schmidt, speaking to press during the company-sponsored Zeitgeist 2010 conference, described plans to "take Google's core products and add a social component."

With a few social tweaks, Google's core product, search, would allow friends to provide friend more "tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better," Schmidt said. Doing so would take a few pointers from Yahoo, which recently added social components to its search engine.