Some think that going real-time was Google’s natural next step in beefing up its search results; others think it’s going to flood the inter-web with a plethora of useless finds. Either way, Google has made the plunge and has incorporated Twitter updates into its results.
The web giant has also included a new “search options” feature on its main page, which allows you to choose what you want Google to sift through when returning your search results.
You can filter by different formats (videos, forums, and reviews), by time (recent, past 24 hours, past week, past year), as well as seeing related searches on a pretty "wonder wheel" or timeline view.
The real-time part means that Google will display information from blogs and platforms, such as Twitter, as soon as it is published.
Including a flood of Twitter updates in your search efforts may be a bit overwhelming, so Google has opted to narrow it down to the top 5 Tweets relating to your subject of choice.
The real-time data will be displayed in a constantly updating stream within the normal results page, and is the first time a search engine has integrated real-time results into its search function.
The new search feature will also be available on mobiles, including handsets running Android.
Google also announced its next big idea: Google Goggles, which is a virtual search tool that allows you to take a picture with a mobile phone to get a search underway. No longer can the excuse of RSI prevent you from looking up “ethylene” in Wikipedia.
The tool compares the image against Google’s stored database to return relevant information.
Will you find Twitter results more enlightening or enraging? Leave us a comment and let us know!
One thought on “Google Goes Real-Time with Twitter”
This is a bold, timely move that is going to lead to a massive shake up in the entire search industry. It is clear that most folks who have commented so far appreciate the importance of this development like I do. Besides TipTop (http://feeltiptop.com) which offers a unique experience that Google would not be able to replicate easily (unless they acquire them), I do not quite see how any other real-time search engine is going to survive after this.