I think you are oversimplifying the concept. Take your second example: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Courtship+rituals+of+early-moder

I think you are oversimplifying the concept. Take your second example: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Courtship+rituals+of+early-modern+spain http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&#3... IMO the most informative result on that page is third from the bottom: a JSTOR link to an academic article published in the journal Hispania. That's probably because I spend all day reading journal articles -- as do most of my friends. A smart "social search" algorithm would integrate that signal, along with whatever the bot returns, and promote that link for me and the people with whom I associate. By the same token, the majority of searchers would probably prefer the top link, which is an about.com summary of the topic. I am as skeptical as they come regarding the "social" fad. But it's difficult for me to see how Google's search algorithms couldn't be improved by incorporating this stuff.