Google has been on a mission to shake things up in search. For instance, it’s got AIwhipping up images from your text promptsandsolving the math problemsyou throw at it. And in a world where people crave connection as much as information, Google is spicing up your web browsing by adding personal touch to search results, turning them into a collaborative knowledge base with the help of fellow users.
The search giant is throwing a new experiment into the mix called “Notes.” It basically gathers all sorts of tips and advice on a topic from around the web. This newfeature was first seen in August, and you can now try it out by opting in throughSearch Labs. Once you’re in on the action, you’ll see the Notes buttons pop up under search results and articles on Discover in the Google app, allowing you to view ideas from other users or add your own two cents to any search result.
Once you add a note, you may toss in text, grab some pictures from Image Search or your device, and slap on stickers. Spice it up with different backgrounds and tweak the colors. Plus, you’ll soon be able to add an AI-generated image to your entry just for kicks.
In ablog post, Google shows off a note about various frosting types. It’s got green text, a cake picture at the bottom, and a cute heart sticker. At the bottom, there was a link to the frosting article.
Google acknowledges that some people might try to upload inappropriate stuff to Notes. To keep things in check, it’s rolling out a few safety measures. First up, it’s using a mix of algorithms and real humans to give everything a once-over. Plus, each note gets a rank based on its relevance to a search result—the juicier the info, the higher it goes. And if you stumble upon something sketchy, you can hit the report button for a human double-check.
There are a few caveats, though. For now, Notes is only available in the US and India, and only to people who are part of Google’s Search Labs program. Furthermore, you may only use it on the mobile web version of Google Search or in the Google app.
Besides Notes, Google islaunchinga new “Follow” tool. Coming to mobile users in the US in the next few weeks, this feature keeps you in the loop on topics you’re always digging into, so you can stay up-to-date on your favorite sports team’s latest moves, for example. Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to follow topics that are inappropriate or harmful.
Last but not least, Google is making some changes to its “Perspectives” feature, whichpulls in real human insights from social media and forums. Perspectives is coming to desktop search in the US soon, and starting today, you’ll see more details about the people who created the content, like their profile pictures or follower counts.
