Google Shows Off Improvements in Realtime Search

Posted 12/07/2009 at 3:07pm | by Bart Salisbury

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The Internet is all a blur, to be sure, but it’s not a realtime blur. Searches, for example, prowl through databases of constantly complied and updated information, which means there’s always a disconnect, albeit a small one, between what you see and what is actually out there. Google announced plans to eliminate that gap with something it calls the “realtime web.”

The key to realtime is relevancy, and according to Google Fellow Amit Singhal, presenting at Google’s Search Event, Google’s relevance technology has matured to the point where realtime is possible. According to Singhal, “the importance of relevance has gone through the roof as the amount of information out there is growing. Relevance has become the critical factor.”  MG Siegler, of TechCrunch, reports a demonstration by Singhal showing hits on freshly available information, even from Twitter.

Right now English is the only language realtime is available for. But Google plans to expand the number of languages to ensure relevancy remains intact. Other languages are expected to be incorporated by the first quarter of 2010.

Google’s realtime searches will include not only Twitter, but blog posts, MySpace, FriendFeed, Jaiku, Identi.ca and Facebook. Searches can be performed not only on PCs, but iPhones and Android devices.

You can try out the realtime web at Google Trends. Click on any “hot topic.” On the search results page look for the entry “Latest results for...”

Image Credit: Google