Google's SearchWiki puts the human in search

Google has released a new part of iGoogle that basically allows you to customize your own search results. These results are then stored inside your Google account and brought up later on on those particular search terms.

There are two things going on here outside of the obvious with SearchWiki. If you discount the fact that it basically customizes your search, and you're not able to turn it off, there's one of two things going on. First, it gives Google an advantage of human filtering. While it's not going to effect the current public searches at this moment, there's nothing that says that it wouldn't later on. If you think about it, the human filtering machine is the last step before algorithmic. You can only get so far with mathematics these days, and by context, human beings can filter spam or irrelevant search results much better than a computer after the bulk of the work is done. It's what another company that we all know should have done with their tool in my opinion.

The second that this does, is that it gives creates a interactive search experience. I know that's not something that most people care about nor is it something that is particularly useful for everyone. But it does give you an idea from an informational standpoint on how people try to game the system.

Truthfully, if these results ever show up in the actual searches or have some sort of weight, I wouldn't be surprised. It also would give an opportunity for people to game the system just as SEO has become such a large part of the Internet market. From a business perspective, there are many good things that can come of this particular tool for Google.

Now if only, you could turn it off...