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Real-Time Search andDiscovery of the Social Web

By David Spark

Founder, Spark Media SolutionsDecember 7th, 2009 Twitter:

@dsparkUpdated: December 10th, 2009

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Table of contents

Executive summaryReal-time interaction on the InternetTraditional search engines and the real-time webPublishing for a few, implications for allThe Michael Jackson wake-up callLooking for real-time answersWhat real-time search deliversThe technologies and behaviors behind real-time searchThe APIsThe protocolsThe function of a real-time search engineMarket dynamics and ecosystemIndexing real-time data: explicit vs. implicitTwitter ecosystemTraditional search playersReal-time search startupsWeb users rely on each other for a successful real-time webIndustry economics and business modelsEmerging business models for real-time searchWhat should we expect from real-time searchEndnotesAuthorReal-Time Search and Discovery of the Social Web3491116181920

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Executive summary

Each day, users of the social web post more than230 million pieces of content. They’re sharingall types of published media — videos, pictures,tweets, Facebook status updates, blog posts,comments, reviews, and more — with theirimmediate community and the greater social web.Given the short lifespan of much of this information,traditional search engines have historically ignoredpublishing a signi

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cant portion of this content. Thisgap in search engine reporting has opened up newopportunities for real-time search and discoveryengines. On a minute-by-minute or even second-by-second basis, these new search engines digestand make sense of what people are talking aboutacross the social web. But their autonomy fromthe traditional search engine players is aboutto dissipate. The real-time search landscape ischanging as both Google and Microsoft’s Bing formreal-time search partnerships, expanding theirde

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nition of searchable content to include thepublication of dynamic social web content.Real-Time Search and Discovery of the Social WebNOTE: This report focuses mainly on user-generated real-time content. It purposely omitsmachine-to-machine real-time content and longexplanations of location-based information.People’s use of search has evolved with the growthof social media. It’s estimated that as much as 40percent of all searches have a real-time component.That means new competitors who aim to servethis market by providing answers speci

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cally forreal-time queries could take away up to $40 billiondollars from traditional search engines. That’s just the beginning revenue potential as real-time search can deliver additional money makingservices such as real-time conversations, discovery,programming, and trend tracking.The future of the real-time search market is beingshaped by emerging technologies, new players,the evolving incumbent search players, and thechanging ways web users interact with each other.