Real time search is the buzzword in the Internet world now. Many companies claim to offer real time search for the users. Google, which is the other name for search, is of course at the front and in fact admits that it is constantly enhancing the technology each day. So what exactly is real time search? A real question to ponder before joining the race to get it.
What is real time search?
In a crispy way, real time search is searching online for material that is published in real time. In other words, there is no time gap between the time it is created and published. The best example, as you would already have guessed, is tweeting for Twitter. In a broader way you can consider the Yahoo answers and a status update in Facebook as further examples.
How is real time search useful to you?
The most obvious advantage is of course that you get the news as and when it happens, be it as personal as a change in mood or as public as an earthquake. For a company that runs an online business this would mean instant advertising, as you can provide all the latest developments as news bits to the readers all across the globe. Moreover, it avoids all the glamour and ornamental parts of marketing and provides the exact information that a user is looking for.
The “first come, first served” usage is most relevant in the case of online sales offers and promotions. Time is of utmost importance and real time search serves best for that purpose. Here the news is fresh and relevant. Moreover, you also get the response of your customers as fast as you publish the news. Because real time search helps real time communication between people. If you are a buyer of an iphone you get to contact previous buyers and know the details. Similarly, if you are seller you publish the latest offers and promotions or the launch of a new model.
What is the role of Twitter in real time search?
Twitter almost started the trend of real time online presence. The character limit of Twitter to 160 has worked for it rather than against. The very fact that Google has started adding tweets to its search results make Twitter the most powerful weapon for real time search. Twitter users want what they provide: information that is relevant and short. They need information “now” and “quick”. Providing such an audience with a single-page blog, however interesting that blog is, would be a waste of not just time but also effort.
While webmasters are still arguing about the value of real time search the truth remains that the consumers would always be hungry for news that they want as brief and as important as possible. Provide them that and you could witness a considerable boost in your sales.
