CorpComms Magazine

I'm only a week into the two month #NoSearch project and it's already starting to throw up some interesting memes for further thought, specifically around the areas of how we use search engines and how social media channels vary when it comes to their use as knowledge bases.

The first thing that dawned on me pretty early on was how easy it is to run a web search without even thinking about it. On more than one occasion in the first couple of days I was in Google and starting to type before I caught myself. If my experience is anything to go by, Google has become so embedded in our way of life that it's no longer even a conscious action to flick open a browser window and be on the page you want within a matter of literally seconds.

It's struck me that using the web is akin to using a mobile phone. No-one memorises phone numbers anymore as you keep them on your mobile and, in the same way, you don't memorise URLs because Google takes you straight to the site you want using its auto suggest feature.

And while I'm on the subject, Google Instant (the name it's given the auto suggest feature) quickly became the #NoSearch project's nemesis; every time I went into my browser to type a URL that I did know into the bar, up would pop a list of suggestions as I typed. I've now had to turn Instant off. Have you ever thought about the power that Google has? If you carry out this experiment for even a few hours, it'll become very, very obvious to you. Search has changed: it's no longer about 'pull', it's about 'push'. More to follow on that over the next few weeks.

From a social media perspective, I've started to think more about how I use different networks and the differences between them. It's not rocket science perhaps, but Twitter is my default network if I have a question I need answered or want some information. Twitter is much, much faster if you need something right away and, as such, is more valuable. The people are also different; more clued up, more reactive, more socially-savvy.

Maybe there's a lesson there for social marketers: Facebook may be great for maintaining ongoing relationships and brand awareness, but Twitter beats it hands down for information and service. Build an effective and efficient Twitter profile and monitoring process, and you can answer people's queries right there, right then, when they want to know. For me at present, that's invaluable.

Read more about the launch of the #NoSearch project

Paul Sutton is head of social communications at BOTTLE. Follow his experiment on the #NoSearch blog, help him out on Twitter or Quora, and check back here every Tuesday for an update.

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