Google's New Year's Eve Logo Will Make Money Via Twitter

Google’s logo today heralds a new decade with the roman numerals MMXI replacing the OOGL of it’s name.

Clicking the logo takes the user to a search for the term ‘New Year’s Eve’ which has a particular focus on real-time news results.

The focus on real-time updates for New Year’s Eve is interesting as it illustrates how much search and social networking have become part of the fabric of our culture at the end of the first decade of the new millenium. And Google is sitting as the layer above Facebook and Twitter showing the entire open index of social media updates.

We can expect to see the english language version of the feed go crazy with updates in the next two to three hours!

Also of note is that within the real-time feeds are ‘ads by Twitter’ displayed as if there were normal search ads, in Google’s classical paid search format. This partnership has been in place since November and is an industry first for Google because it is the first time another ad network has been allowed to display inventory on a Google property.

The partnership is a 50/50 revenue split between Google and Twitter. However, knowing how much traffic a clickable Google logo drives to the search results and websites within it, this should certainly make for a happy new year for Twitter’s budding revenue model!

Whilst many are calling 2011 the year of Facebook because of the overwhelming success of it’s ad network – with Google so solidly behind Twitter, will we be calling 2012 the year of Twitter? It has to be said that Google TV and Twitter could make for an extremely interesting realtime ads partnership.

And with that, all that remains to be said is “Happy New Year” to you, readers of SEW. Thanks for all your comments, Facebook likes, Twitter retweets and support. Wishing you a fantastic new year and good fortune and prosperity in 2011.

Happy New Year!