With talks about Twitter updates being indexed by Google, a question recently came to mind.

Many Twitter users update to Twitter and other social networking websites with the same information duplicated. For instance, Twitter and FaceBook can be linked so when a post is published on one it will be duplicated on the other.

Even though there have been debates about duplicate content and search engine ranking, many marketers choose not to duplicate content for fear of the invisible red flag from Google. But, what about duplicate social networking posts?

Personal Versus Professional

Now, the casual social networking user will probably have nothing to worry about. The update about Cindy finally getting her braces off will not include links to a website or business, in most cases. However, the Internet marketer and website business often include links in their posts to website main pages, inner pages and articles used to market a business. If these posts are duplicated, exactly, will the search engine see them as SPAM?

The trouble with social networking is connectivity. This social network is connected to that social site and that social site is connected to another social network and on and on…

There was once a time when being a member of a social network meant being social, but those times have been replaced with mass updates, link posting and hourly pushes to read this and click here.

There are literally hundreds of social networks out there and if all of them eventually have their posts indexed by major search engines, how will the bots differentiate between the SPAMMERS and the businesses just trying to increase popularity the right way? It could all weigh on duplication.

Retro Indexing or Future Indexing

Another huge question about the indexing of social networking posts is when the indexing will start. If the indexing is retro fitted and all past updates are indexed, it could mean a HUGE shift in the top 10 rank listing for popular keywords.

Just imagine 10,000 or 20,000 posts being indexed from various social networks all containing back links to inner pages of a website. That could be enough to blow up servers with an over abundance of traffic hitting the website.

The Place for Social Networks in the Search Engine Results

Despite the troubles that could result from search engines indexing social network posts, there is a very real need for this integration to occur. When a fierce battle for the top 10 page is being constantly fought, website owners and Internet marketers use every tactic they can to increase traffic.

For the website that has chosen to integrate social networking, that upper hand could fall in their corner. Social networking with links is link building – the search engines just have to catch up.

So, whether or not the duplicate content will count against social networking businesses or not will probably be an issue hidden in the new algorithm for the most popular engines. Until the Tweets, bulletins and updates are indexed, we will just have to continue being social.

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StumbleUpon has been one of those fun sites where the user can click and find websites they never knew existed.

Writers often use the “stumble” button to find new and exciting information for their books, websites and blogs.

Internet marketers have also been utilizing the “stumble” button from time to time as a source of incoming links and potential traffic.

But, with only 8 million users a month, there was no competition compared to the major search engine and social networking websites, until now.

StumbleUpon is ready to rebirth itself as a viable search engine which could mean more traffic for those stumbled websites.

The New Social Networking Search

The new StumbleUpon has one major feature that the previous version did not, search. Users can search the websites other community members have stumbled for information the community thinks is worth looking into.

If a user needs information on Women’s Health, they will be able to search that keyword. But, the results will be limited to the websites stumbled by users.

There are currently 35 million websites indexed in the StumbleUpon search engine. This number is sure to increase as soon as article marketers and Internet marketers get a whiff of the new social networking search engine aiming to position itself between Google and Twitter.

But why is StumbleUpon angled at just the right place to hit it big?

Unlike Twitter, FaceBook and MySpace, the information shared on StumbleUpon is linked to the Internet. The users find relevant content and share that content with other Stumble users.

There is a personal side to StumbleUpon, but this side is not as personal as many other social networking websites which could lend to the clout of the links being submitted to StumbleUpon.

Growing Traffic In Groups

Now, just because StumbleUpon is not your common social network, does not mean those other networks are not just as important for link building, traffic growth and website popularity.

For this reason, users of the StumbleUpon search engine will have the opportunity to share the information they find on other popular social networks.

With whispers about social network updates and content soon being indexed on search engines, do you realize what this StumbleUpon change means for link building?

A website URL that is stumbled is indexed on the new StumbleUpon search engine. That website is found by a StumbleUpon user and shared on FaceBook.

A friend finds the link very interesting and Tweets about the website. Followers click through to the website and decide to share it with their friends and post the link on MySpace. From one stumble grew a viral link.

StumbleUpon does have the opportunity to change the face of Internet marketing by integrating the social networking quality readers love and the viral link building that website entrepreneurs need to increase traffic and profits.

This could be a fantastic platform for boosting website presence and popularity which could mean some changes in the search engine rankings placement pages.

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