Living the Web: Search Engines Take on Real-Time Data

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LeapFish Inc. All opinions are 100% mine.

If the 1990s could be considered the Information Age, then the 200s could be considered the Uber-Information Age. Even as long as four or five years ago, the Internet was still relatively static– this was before blogging became a hot commodity, before social media and networking took off– today’s Internet is a giant, a rapidly-morphing, ever-changing giant. Search engines have largely bypassed and ignored the constant stream of “real time” data: opinion forums, blogs, conversations, social media, and communities.

Ah, but the times, they are a-changing.

I’ve been watching a newer search engine company, Leapfish, take the initiative with “real time” search data, or, as Leapfish calls it, “The Living Web.” They’ve done a remarkable job with a video showcasing the enormous growth of the Internet and therefore the great need for a search engine featuring real-time data. And Google has caught on, too– Google just recently announced their newest product, “Real-Time Search Live Now.” It’s a kind of running commentary displaying the latest buzz on your search. It’s veyr fascinating and a bit overwhelming! There is just so much information out there.

I’m liking the changes toward real-time search data. I do a lot of searches for reviews or for technical problems, and it’s frustrating coming up with Wikipedia or some archived web page that has nothing to do with my search. The Internet is too vast, too large to ignore, and the time has come to incorporate live, real-time data to the search engine ranks. Social media has really changed things. Hold on to your hats, it’s going to get very busy!