The latest development from Google is melting hearts as it encourages Internet users to answer the question: What Do You Love?

Google’s latest offering takes the form of a universal, amalgamated search tool titled What Do You Love? Visitors to the www.wdyl.com site type in one of their favourite interests, and WDYL returns several streams of content related to the topic. The content is drawn from Google’s entire spectrum of search tools, including Google Image Search, Google Maps, Google News, Google Trends, Google Books and YouTube. In this way, users are presented with a comprehensive, all-encompassing results page presenting them with a variety of ways to explore their favourite topics further online.

Google recently announced a new service that is now available to all Google account holders. “Me on the Web” is supposedly a product aimed at assisting all Google users with the ability to more easily control their online reputation on the web via an easy to use interface that gives one the ability to receive alerts whenever their name or profile of some sort is mentioned. But in a recent post by Danny Sullivan, Danny reveals some interesting insights into what he thinks Google’s real motivation behind Me on the Web is.

Let’s start by taking a look at Me on the Web:

Now, the more tech savvy amongst us will be screaming out “what about Google alerts?” and the truth is, they have a point; Me on the Web is very much like Google alerts, but is far more accessible and easy to use. Below is a screenshot of the interface that comes with Me on the Web and the numerous options and filters that are available:

Market share is a clear indicator of how well a search engine performs, and affects the overall revenue the company can generate through advertising. Bing has made some strides since its launch in the attempt to challenge the mighty Google and their dominance in the search market – but over the past 2 years Bing has not shown much in terms of market share increases to become a viable competitor to Google – until perhaps now. How do the big players attempt to gain search market share? Buy it…

Google has been known for striking deals with manufacturers such as Dell and Acer to include preloaded Google toolbars, resulting in the use of the Google toolbar in software applications like Adobe Flash, FireFox and their own mobile OS, Android, which has gained mobile market share incredibly with the adoption in the market.

When exactly was it that Microsoft dropped so swiftly from cultural relevance? Let your mind wander back to the glory days of Windows 95, when Microsoft’s business practices consisted of releasing an OS update every few months and sitting back in their suede leather chairs as they counted the money pouring in. Today it’s a different story for the mighty Microsoft. Bill Gates is a figurehead now, with Steve Ballmer headlining as the face of Microsoft. The Xbox 360 is now their second largest selling product (after their operating systems) and the world no longer talks about Windows as if it gave birth to their second child. So where and how did it all fall apart?

If you follow the heated rivalry between the world’s leading search engines, you’ll know that Microsoft Bing has been marketed as a “decision engine”, taking shots at rivals like Google with a series of comical advertisements highlighting the threat of “Search Overload Syndrome”.

Pretty amusing, but Google marketing professionals will agree that the latest dispute between Google and Microsoft Bing is no laughing matter. The industry has been abuzz since Matt Cutts and Amit Singhal accused Bing of lifting code from Google and copying their rival’s search results.

It must be said that Yahoo search has never been quite as popular or as glamorous as Google; in fact I find comparing Yahoo and Google brings to mind a typical “teen movie” scenario where the shy, mousy girl with braces feels she can never compete with the pretty, spoiled cheerleader who seems to get all the attention. Of course the turning point usually comes when the mousy girl gets a confidence-boosting makeover, and the recent Yahoo search enhancements may be a step towards the search engine’s very own “Cinderella story”.

Recent Google search updates, from the rollout of Instant to the updated AdWords interface, have been causing a stir in many a SEO agency in recent weeks. With Google at the forefront of search innovation, it’s not surprising that rival engine Yahoo has started devising some strategic search enhancements as well.

It is kind of difficult not to follow what Google is doing these days. As I have said before, they pretty much have their finger in every pie but the one pie that they just cannot seem to get a slice of is social media. There is no doubt that Google’s social media involvement is present as we have seen various Google innovations that have integrated the act of social media into their strategy in order to engage even further and jump on that social media band wagon that all of us are clambering onto. But what are Google trying to achieve? Are they trying to be something that they are not or are we just giving them a hard time and predicting any social media innovations that they create as dead in the water, therefore indirectly creating the failure?

Twitter Tales is the latest “stories” site to be launched by a social networking platform with the aim of sharing its users’ personal experiences. All users are encouraged to share their stories on Twitter Tales, whether they use the network to connect with others, inspire their communities or simply to find solace in 140-character self-expression.

This year, the Google marketing department surprised us by airing a TV commercial during the Super Bowl championship. However, this was by no means a sign that Google would be breaking from their traditional advertising methods. The Parisian Love video had been available on Youtube for some time, and heralded the launch of a series of gorgeous Google “Search Stories”. Twitter Tales aims to promote user interaction in the same way, by demonstrating the creative uses of the platform and how the technology integrates with users’ everyday lives. The Twitter Blog describes Twitter Tales as “a growing set of articles that highlights creative individuals and businesses from all corners of the world that help make Twitter awesome”.