Real-Time Search – 5 Reasons Why “We” Will Change the Web
If you don’t understand why the Real Time Web is huge, you will soon.
Thanks to micro-blogging sites like Twitter, a constant stream of human-posted content has infiltrated the Web. This growing infiltration has created a bottoms up approach to content creation that via the progressive support of rapidly developing applications has and will continue to empower every individual to co-create what is deemed as “important” on the Web. The Real Time Web serves as both the database that informs us of what is happening right “Now” and the human touch to the content that will compete with the traditional algorithms for what is deemed as “valuable” content to us all.
Its challenges lie in the filtration and mass integration of both the content and the act of sharing to the Real Time Web. There remain major aspects of the Web that have not yet integrated “searching” and “sharing” of the Real Time Web, including traditional search. But as filtration and integration progress the Web will take the form of a living breathing database.
Here are 5 reasons why Real Time Search will help the Real Time movement change the Web and your experience forever.
1. The “Now” Factor
We saw it with Michael Jackson’s passing. We saw it with the Iran Protests and we see it more and more everyday – the Real Time web provides us with what is happening right “Now” and with vivid detail from around the globe. “We” is driving the “Now” factor.
2. We Become Co-Creators
The Real-Time web offers us the ability to become co-creators in not only content but also in what is deemed important. Why? Because we decide what is worth sharing, discussing and having opinions on. This behavior serves as a natural selection of valuable content. Certainly the current web allows for creation of content, but what is deemed as important/valuable is mostly left up to a few individuals, organizations and a bunch of robots. The Real-Time web, once fully integrated, will change that.
3. Humans vs Machines
Have you ever clicked on blue links that lead you to a piece of content dating back to a year ago? Search results lose relevancy each day due to the amount of new content hitting the internet. Spiders, web crawlers and engines decide what content is relevant via algorithms and those results can be manipulated via intelligently structured content (SEO). Real-time search enables users to receive information via conversations and people instead of machines. Take a look at your web results today. Would you rather receive cold content determined by algorithms or what the crowd and people value as good and bad?
4. Facebook Factor
With over 300 million users creating and wrapping themselves around content, once Facebook opens up its search API to the web what do you think will happen? Better yet do you think there is value in being able to search a database of 300 million users’ opinions and experiences? Searching Facebook may be the factor that tips the overall experience of the web into one that is very different than today. Facebook may be the tipping point to where bottoms up (sharing & contributing) will go head to head with tops down (crawling & optimizing).
5. A New Breed of Search Engines
If there existed a search engine that was capable of aggregating and rendering results based on what was shared, peoples opinions and conversations, would you be interested in that search engine? If you knew that there were 6 conversations that provided a fantastic account of a design firm you were considering would that be more valuable to you than the top 3 links on your current search engine results? Would you have more value for SEO based search results or human conversation driven results? How about both? Real-Time search, once developed, will render a new breed of search engines that will capture this new value the New Web has to offer.
At the moment, Real Time Search is only in its infancy, as is the Real Time web. Twitter and the like are simply representations of a big movement that will continue to occur with the creation of more similar services, more adoption of those services and more integration of those services.
What is clear is that our daily use of the Real Time Web’s driving platforms — Twitter, Facebook and the like — is unprecedented. The Internet is no longer simply just a disconnected 3rd party container of tops down aggregation, “We” is now part of its determination. And, search as we know it will soon change to accommodate, thereby delivering a completely different experience of the Web.
I agree that real time searches will be a thing for future engines, I think this is one thing that Leapfish plans to implement in their next release.
by Dragon Blogger
on 23. Oct, 2009
@dragon blogger — Absolutely. LeapFish will be releasing a new search experience that is positioned to experience this New Web.
by Ben Behrouzi
on 23. Oct, 2009
Good content, cogent and concise. I agree with the points you are making. Something else I’ve thought about is that with all the buzz about “real-time” search I haven’t noticed any references to semantic search. Already passe? It seems as if semantic search barely got any traction before real-time dominated the online search discussions. Or are the two compatible? Maybe you need a semantic search engine to sort through all the real-time noise?
by practicehacker
on 23. Oct, 2009
@Practice Hacker — I think true Semantic Search would be very beneficial to the filtration of the real time social stream. However, although many engines claim “Semantic Search” capabilities, true semantic search is extremely difficult to execute against. Thanks for stopping by.
by Ben Behrouzi
on 23. Oct, 2009
the recent moves by Bing and Google show the potential of this niche, as real time web continue to be hot
by Sency
on 23. Oct, 2009
Real-time search connotes, in my opinion the need for something relevant at a certain point in time. The challenges as a regular, non-technical, user and lover of technology is that the explanations seem so convoluted and confusing. Here’s a thought, every problem needs to be framed so people can understand, and to that end, the challenge with so-called real-time search or the even more confusing semantic web.
For example, when the holidays approach, and I want to find the delis or pizza spots that are actually open on Christmas eve, to me that is real-time search with a purpose. When a hurricane, wildfire, or flood hits, people want to know immediately where to get help while on the go. The hurdle and the opportunity is what I call “mobile serendipity”. Here’s what I mean, during the latest G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, I had a devilish time finding interesting and cool events unrelated to the G20, but rallies, and other gatherings. Most of this stuff travels in circuitous ways and meanders only to get “stale” after a long and winding journey through the clouds. So, my idea, as simple as it is, is rather challenging because people who are share information tend to provide incomplete content more often than not. Here is what I mean: if I visit Facebook for something interesting about G20 activities, I would have to “friend” someone. On Twitter, one has to search in what might take me to a link that is incomplete or requires a follow-up call (e.g. the cost, closing time, age limit, etc). Twitter is good point of distribution, but not with structured, contextually relevant content; to be sure, this is what people are willing to pay for. After all, when was the last time you paid $1.75 for directory assistance to find out when a certain place closes or what is the cost because it is missing on the website?
To reiterate, real-time is synonymous with context. My barber, who is single often, asks me about stuff to do with the kids; he asks me presumably because I am married and I must know these things. I then ask my wife, and she informs me, much to my disappointment that they (other moms) usually find out stuff through word of mouth or search. Nevertheless, here is the opportunity, what if we could find out about cool places to take the kids when it is “our” weekend while driving around. That is “real-time” to me. Perhaps for people with no kids this is boring and uninteresting, but this is what real-time search is about. In addition, frankly, without having a relevant contextual understanding, real-time search or the semantic web is of little value. I am sure there are bounds of other points of view on this, and would be delighted to listen and exchange.
by L. Howell
on 24. Oct, 2009
@L.Howell, your point is very important. In my opinion that need will be filled by new appropriate applications that sit on the web and on your phone. But that type of real time harnessing and curating is exactly why there will be a new breed of search engines developed. There is tremendous value in harnessing the growing real time movement.
by Ben Behrouzi
on 28. Oct, 2009
[...] My following thoughts have been inspired by this blog post. [...]
by Real time web « Web Design and Internet Marketing for All! - Maleze Booth
on 25. Oct, 2009
[...] Ben Behrouzi, LeapFish Founder & CEO, recently wrote an article on the key characteristics of real time [...]
by Ben Behrouzi: Real-Time Search – 5 Reasons Why “We” Will Change the Web « LeapFish Official Blog
on 26. Oct, 2009
I believe real time search will take the web by storm
by Lady Storm
on 27. Oct, 2009
@LadyStorm agreed.
by Ben Behrouzi
on 28. Oct, 2009
@Ben Behrouzi – We are really changing the web. Realtime search is taking off bigtime. Post Bing Twitter deal and Google’s launch of social search now Yahoo is speculated to get into realtime search.
Any idea who will win the race to provide the best social search experience for us (Bing, Google or Yahoo)?
by Sandip Vinayka
on 28. Oct, 2009
@Sandip The big 3 will integrate real time but there must and will be a completely new search experience deployed to navigate the new living web. The old systems, although they will display real-time content, will fail to develop a new interface that captures the multi-media, real-time and social web as well as all mechanisms that go with such an undertaking. The real-time web is really a representation of something much bigger, something that cannot completely be captured by traditional engines. The interface and entire experience must change, as has everything else on the web.
by Ben Behrouzi
on 28. Oct, 2009
We’re really at the very start of this thing with the search engines just now saying “ok… let’s start to index these site faster, better”. It’s also quite recent that Facebook is opening up more.
Making the data accessible is the first step. Findable the second. The third wave is what will be very interesting: ranking other search results based on social networking signals.
Thanks for the article, Ben. Was a great read to start my morning with!
by Ruud Hein
on 29. Oct, 2009
@Ruud You are right on. Thanks for stopping by.
Ben
by Ben Behrouzi
on 29. Oct, 2009
[...] Time Web Summit Keynote Google Eric Schmidt on the future of the web Judy Sims: AOL vs. newspapers real Time Search: Five reasons why we will change the web Craig Newmark: Nerd’s take on the future of news media Google Wave Description CNET News [...]
by Real Time Links < tech.thehour.com
on 30. Oct, 2009
3 of the hot reals time web companies were covered today here:
http://www.promotionworld.com/se/articles/article/091102-The-Real-Time-Web-Continues-to-be-Hot
by Sency
on 02. Nov, 2009
@Sency Great to see.
by Ben Behrouzi
on 02. Nov, 2009
Real time will change the web, for sure, but real time *search* will remain a niche. I just don’t see the demand for it. I think once in a great while people will ask themselves, “What’s the buzz on this new product launch?” but mostly, people search for “reviews on plastic canoes.” Google and real time search are not competitors as I see it.
by Kevin
on 05. Nov, 2009
[...] Ben explained, significant changes have come about thanks to social networking and community platforms. We can receive breaking news as it happens. Everyone has the power to be [...]
by Information Consumption and the Real-Time Web - SEM Synergy Extras | webmarketingexperts.com.au
on 11. Nov, 2009
The facebook integration to Bing can big. Will people write personal content if it starts getting crawled is the question. It will be a marketplace in that case. Some new refreshing soc net which doesnot allow crawling may stand a chance.
by Arkid Mitra
on 27. Nov, 2009
[...] Ben Behrouzi, posted an article today that captures the movement of the real-time web and how there is a need for integrating and sharing this new mountain of content that is created daily and how “WE” are creating the new “Web that [...]
by Why “WE” Will Change the Web | Mark Kithcart on Social Media & Online Marketing
on 10. Jan, 2010