When will social search replace index search in the future—and will Google be prepared for it?

We still don’t know the answer to the first question, but we got a glimpse yesterday. By all accounts, Graph Search is in very, very early beta. It’s nowhere near ready for prime time. Yet, something tells me that the top brass at Google is very aware of this—and very afraid.

Microsoft made the mistake of dismissing alternatives to Windows and Office in the mid-2000s. Larry, Sergey, and Eric are too smart to make the same mistake. Why do you think Google has spent so much time and money on Plus? Short answer: Because myriad searches can be done on Facebook that just can’t be done on Google.

In the Age of the Platform, it’s better to be paranoid than complacent.