New Feature in SERPs - "Actively Discussed On Google+"

[SnowMan68]

Today for the first time I noticed something showing up in the Google SERPS. Under some of the results it says "Actively discussed on Google+ - Show". When you click on Show a section drops down and shows the discussion of that page on Google+. Is this something in testing that only a few select people are seeing?

Has anyone else noticed this showing up in the SERPS today?

[jonathantaioba]

Hello,
I did a search for "unnatural links" and I saw the same thing. I was logged in and using Chrome.

[g1smd]

Yet another example of a results bias sending traffic to another Google property.

[indyank]

Under some of the results it says "Actively discussed on Google+ - Show". When you click on Show a section drops down and shows the discussion of that page on Google+

Was there anyone within your circles on that discussion? If not, why would they show a discussion among people not within your circles?

They are not giving up yet in their effort to drive traffic to their Google+ product...promotion of yet another product of theirs on the search engine...sigh!

[edited by: indyank at 5:47 pm (utc) on Jul 25, 2012]

[SnowMan68]

I am seeing it on Chrome and Firefox.

No one from my circles is in the discussion. It's weird.

[indyank]

oops, you answered that just when I was framing my question. So what about the privacy they had promised?

[indyank]

WoW! g1smd and I echo the same sentiment at the same time... :)

[rustybrick]

Can someone take a picture?

[SnowMan68]

@ rustybrick

[tinypic.com ]
[tinypic.com ]

[Panthro]

Ha! I'm seeing them while logged-out. 2 comments is hardly "actively" imo.

Interesting, thanks for posting.

[Robert Charlton]

I'm seeing the same thing either logged-in with search history disabled, or logged-out.

Interesting also is Google's choice of thumbnail images. As it's apparently a hot trending topic, they're returning news results in the top position, and the image used for the news grouping is from a different site than is the story featured... The story is from SEW, and the image pulled from a large image that accompanied the SEL story.

[Leosghost]

As it's apparently a hot trending topic

2 comments

their desperation is showing..

[Robert Charlton]

2 comments

their desperation is showing..

But there are a lot of lurkers. ;)

[Leosghost]

But there are a lot of lurkers. ;)

The existence of whom we have to take the word of G, the same G who says..
"we didn't slurp the wi-fi data, it was a rogue engineer, who coded a bug, we knew nothing, he never told his supervisors, we didn't keep the data, ( but we can't destroy it, in case we need to prove that we didn't use it ) and he is now talking the 5th.. we don't take money for dodgy pharma ads, well we do , but have this payment to make the case go away..etc etc"..and not forgetting..they "need my mobile phone number, for my security"..

Truth and the plex, have been strangers, for quite some time now..

Their serps ..they can put what they like in them ( as long as they own the content ..that they put, mostly they don't )..but as to why they put things..I'd prefer that they admit that Larry doesn't want to eat crow pie..because without the new droid sign ups being forced into it, G+ sign up numbers are near stagnant..than they lie about what is "hot"..and the meaning of "hot"..

[indyank]

Interesting also is Google's choice of thumbnail images. As it's apparently a hot trending topic, they're returning news results in the top position, and the image used for the news grouping is from a different site than is the story featured.

This had always been the case for their news results in SERPS i.e. the thumbnail is from a different source than the news story...I had noticed it at-lease 1 year ago if not 2 years...

[indyank]

Truth and the plex have been strangers, for quite some time now..

Their serps ..they can put what they like in them ( as long as they own the content ..that they put, mostly they don't )..but as to why they put things..I'd prefer that they admit that Larry doesn't want to eat crow pie..because without the new droid sign ups being forced into it, G+ sign up numbers are near stagnant..than they lie about what is "hot"..and the meaning of "hot".

It is the same feeling here...People worried about privacy on Facebook haven't seen the big G yet....they will make your privacy a headline on their SERPS...