Real Time Search - The New Wave?

We've gotten used to using the web for searching. Have a question? Just google it. Its amazing how quickly one can learn about something with a couple of nicely worded searches.

But that may become obsolete. Both Google and Microsoft are working on new search tools that will draw upon data streams in social media, like Facebook and Twitter.

Your first thought might well be - But there is so much garbage in those sites. How can you find information that is useful and relevant - and perhaps more importantly, reliable?

The answer comes from looking at information identification in a whole new way. Social media can quickly identify what is on people's minds. It can almost instantly reveal the views of a wide swath of people on a particular topic. It can lead a researcher into avenues of enquiry that might not have been pursued using conventional techniques. It won't replace the solid, detailed knowledge on a topic that can only be obtained by going to established and original sources. But it can provide a pathway to consider, and give a profile on a development. Many people, for example, are using Twitter in particular to track the effects of the ash cloud currently enveloping Europe. It gives them a perspective that the normal news media provides only with more difficulty.

But you need to be patient using this method because at present it requires you to read through a lot of irrelevant and questionable chatter. Here's where the real time search tool comes in. It uses algorithms to sort out the chatter and enable the users to more quickly get to the root of a matter. It can lead to a new way of finding information.