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Earlier today on the Google blog, the search engine giant announced some new content will begin appearing in search results, including public content from social networking sites like Twitter and FriendFeed. The announcement promises “a dynamic stream of real-time content from across the web,” and was followed by a post from Facebook announcing that they are working with Google to make public content from their users available in search results as well.

In about half an hour, the Facebook post has already generated over 250 comments weighing in both for and against the move. This should come as little surprise to most, as users are notoriously averse to change, especially when it comes to privacy. But is there really anything to worry about?

At first glance, this seems like an odd partnership for Facebook, who just last week announced they were removing regional networks and beefing up privacy controls. After a closer look, though, the move starts to make more sense.

Facebook plans to implement stricter privacy controls, allowing users to micromanage their content’s availability piece by piece. This means that users will have more control than ever over which content will be made available to other users of Facebook. When you factor in the current model -that anyone, regardless of school or business affiliation can sign up for an account – you realize that any content marked as public on Facebook is already viewable by essentially anyone who cares to do so.

While this may be the case, adding Facebook posts to Google search results certainly broadens the reach a bit, for better or for worse.  One no longer needs to know anything about a person’s identity to stumble across their content on Facebook.

Even with the enhanced privacy controls, it appears that the days of Facebook as a (semi-)private social network may be numbered. Many users are barely aware of the existence of these privacy controls, and even fewer actually use them to any measurable degree. It’s a pretty good bet that Facebook is counting on this fact, allowing them to publicize tons of user-generated content and generate additional traffic – and more importantly, revenue – to their site.

What does this mean for Facebook users? If you’re a business or organization that wants a new avenue to get your content in front of the public, this is a great step. But if you’re an individual who uses Facebook to maintain your personal, social, and family networks, you’ll want to start paying attention to those privacy settings very soon.

If you ask a hundred people why they use social media networks, or even what got them into social media, you’d probably get a hundred different answers. Some SM celebrities like LisaNova enjoy the attention and boundless audience available at their fingertips. Others, like Zappos CEO Tony, use their networks as a valuable business tool to foster a relationship with current and potential customers. Still others use social media to disseminate useful tips and tricks on everything from the latest tech toys to top-rated recipes.

And then there are the rest of us. Those who use SM for business purposes or to find useful information once in a while, but generally don’t glean any actual value from it – at least according to many SM evangelists out there. As far as I’m concerned, though, it’s this type of user who often finds true value from their networks. This type of user typically uses their networks either as a way to connect with those they already know or to make new connections they might never have had outside this medium. They may not gain value in the form of reputation or business or profit; their value comes through enhancing their interpersonal relationships.

Let’s take me, for example. I’ve been involved in social media for years. In fact, when I joined my first network no one had ever heard of “social media.” My network was simply a way to keep in touch with those friends of mine who moved away after high school without running up exorbitant phone bills, as well as making some new friends along the way. For me, the “value add” was the ability to share my thoughts and ideas with those friends and anyone else who might be interested across the network. It gave me a window out of my small-town world and insight into interaction with people from diverse backgrounds. This insight  eventually proved to be invaluable to me professionally (but that’s a topic for another blog). The most important factor for me – then and now – is people.

I’ll admit, with the meteoric rise of Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, et al., my networking habits have evolved. I’ve made an effort to “brand” myself across the networks, to make myself easy to identify on multiple popular sites. For me, though, it’s more of a personal branding than a business one. I want people to easily be able to find and connect with me in the hopes that we can exchange thoughts, ideas, maybe even a Thai recipe or two. The free exchange of ideas and information are what “they” told us the internet was all about – now social media and web 2.0 are showing us all what that really means. And everyone, from home users to notable SM’ers to business networkers, would do well to remember that relationships are at the root of it all.

*Merriam Webster defines sociality as “the tendency to associate in or form social groups”