There seems to be an increasing number of experiments looking to connect search results and social media. Of course, the most obvious instance of this was Google and Bing's recent announcement that Twitter and Facebook feeds would be added to search query findings. The latest word on the grapevine is a 'new toolbar for Internet Explorer that analyzes the web pages you are looking at and applies what it sees to your social networks.'

What this basically means is providing you're browsing on something (the example given is a movie review) that your friend has commented on, you will receive that update inline with the page you're looking at. Now this could be a tremendously powerful tool for gathering opinion. For example, let's say you're reading an article on Gordon Brown's recent spelling blunder. In a split second you can find out exactly what you're connections are thinking about it.

Used in the right way, this could be an invaluable piece of kit for businesses trying to understand customer opinion. But I fear, that if used in the wrong way, this kind of stuff could just suffocate the Internet with endless comment. What need's to be remembered is that the news is priority, not the opinion.