Google has a competitive advantage. In fact, one might even say it has a franchise in web search. I wouldnt say that. I mean, Google does have a franchise; but, it doesnt have a monopoly on web search and never will. There are real problems with Googles model that are often overlooked. It does a poor job of finding certain sites that are difficult to describe in keywords. For this reason, there may still be a market for web search in the form of specialized niche directories and in some of these social search engines (e.g., Stumble Upon) for many years to come.
Im not suggesting any of these services will be as successful as Google; Im sure they wont be. I am simply pointing out that there is a difference between a need and the means by which that need is satisfied. Even as the dominant search player, Google will only have a franchise on the means (keyword search); it will not have a franchise on the need (finding stuff on the web). Also, Google can not, at present, rightly be called the dominant search player. There is no dominant player in search. Google is the leading search player. It is also the catalyst for many changes in search. But, it is not yet the dominant...