Marksonland

I have a couple of friends that live in SF that I think fall squarely under the definition of "hipsters." From the clothes they wear, to the music they listen to, to the clubs they frequent - these are the defining characteristics of hipster, no? - they are hipster all the way. Those of you know me, know that this is the farthest thing from me. I, for better or for worse, wear regular guy clothes, listen to mostly out-dated music and frequent neighborhood bars (if I go out at all).

So what's this have to do with search? Well, I was thinking about it - when my hipster friends want to go to buy some new clothes, or check out new music, etc., there are places and brands that are designed precisely to cater to them. True Religion jeans vs. the Gap jeans i wear - that sort of thing. These are stores and places that are specifically created around taste differentials among consumers.

But that's not how things work online. Let's say that my hipster friend and I go to Google to get more information on blue jeans. The Google result, because Google knows nothing of our specific tastes, is identical for both of us. It's up to us, the user to provide qualifications....

So I guess my question is, is that optimal? Or is it possible to have a search experience branded by users tastes. In other words, similar to how there are clothing stores that cater to different styles, automobile brands that cater to different demographics (think Buick vs. Hummer), etc. should there be branded search where results page for queries is skewed to a demographic?

Battelle calls this stuff the data base of intentions - but that implies its up to the user differentiate him or herself from other users. I'm wondering can a search brand be built around pre-supposed differences. Google for Kids, Google for Elderly, Google for Geeks, Google for Hipsters - that sort of thing....