Search central
Google has launched a new standalone real-time search engine, with the catchy name of Google Realtime Search, along with a bunch of built-in tools.
Google first introduced real-time search features to its standard search engine last December after inking agreements with the likes of Facebook and Twitter and had focused on applying the technology to new web topics.
Google said in a blog post: "Our goal was to provide real-time content from a comprehensive set of sources, integrated right into your usual search results."
Google Realtime Search will include updates from social networking sites and freshly posted information, as well as pulling in real-time traffic into its search results. The new site's address is www.google.com/realtime and will be available ‘soon,' while a link will let enthusiastic browsers have a go early.
Outlining the new features in Google's blog, product manager Dylan Casey said: "On the new homepage you'll find some great tools to help you refine and understand your results. First, you can use geographic refinements to find updates and news near you, or in a region you specify. So if you're travelling to Los Angeles this summer, you can check out tweets from Angelenos to get ideas for activities happening right where you are."
He also said Google has added a ‘conversations view' so it is easier to follow a discussion on the real-time web, a little like some smartphone's stream features.
"Often a single tweet sparks a larger conversation of re-tweets and other replies, but to put it together you have to click through a bunch of links and figure it out yourself. With the new "full conversation" feature, you can browse the entire conversation in a single glance. We organise the tweets from oldest to newest and indent so you quickly see how the conversation developed," Casey added.
The firm has also bolstered Google Alerts, with updates to make it easier to stay informed about chosen topics.
Casey said: "Now you can create an alert specifically for "updates" to get an email the moment your topic appears on Twitter or other short-form services. Or, if you want to manage your email volume, you can set alerts to email you once per day or week."
Users' desires to get up-to-the-minute news and real-time information has led to all the major search engines buddying up with the likes of Twitter to keep their results relevant.
Tom Stocky, director of product management at Google, last year told The Daily Telegraph: "People want the most up-to-date information and that's what services such as Facebook and Twitter have provided a great platform for - which is why we are really happy to work with them and gain access to that information so we can deeply embed it into our search system."
