If you are one of the skeptical souls that don’t feel social networking is an important factor of search engine optimization (seo) then think again.  In October 2009 Google introduced testing of Social Search, a new experimental feature from the Google Lab.At this time the feature is op in but is definitly an item to keep an eye on.

The feature requires you have a Google account and are logged into your account while searching.  This feature uses your Google Profile and also looks at other social networking sites you have a profile on like Twitter or FriendFeed. So far this is definitely experimental but I believe this will soon become an option embedded in the search results. With that being said, social networking takes on a whole new future.