You don't know what you don't know if you are relying on the major search engines for what is relevant on social Web. Google, Bing, and Yahoo do a wonderful job of indexing, but they are not yet playing in THE GAME that is shaping our social Web: Real-Time Search.
Google will occasionally index one of my Tweets. However, more often I discover what is happening on this real-time social Web through Google's indexing of the work of others, such as Collecta or Topsy.
(Click Image To Enlarge)This indeed is one of the emerging trends on the social Web that helps you to better engage with your respective communities. I'm not one that wants to be tethered to what is happening on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and that is why I value the results of these two services to help keep me current.
Collecta
Collecta is a real-time search engine that indexes a number of sites, especially Twitter, but also YouTube, Flickr, and Ustream. It is an excellent tool for monitoring what others are saying about you and your brand, such as through ReTweets and tagged videos and photos.
If you think about other situations where you want to be first in line, such as a recently posted job opportunity, then you will find also find Collecta to be a valuable tool for sniffing out what Google has passed over.
Topsy
I have to be honest that I have very little data on Topsy, other than what I have discovered through my own experiences. And that is exactly why I am sharing it with you today.
On this rapidly evolving social Web, I highly recommend you base your actions on experience – your own or that of people you know and trust.
Here is what I know. Topsy does an excellent job of indexing Twitter results in real-time. Yet, it's greatest value is that these results frequently get indexed by Google. So, if you have established Google Alerts for your name and brand, you will soon get to know more about Topsy.
Another thing I like about Topsy is they identify the ReTweets according to influence so that you can take special note of those that are carrying your message farther and wider.
Time is On Your Side
To get to know more about these two real-time search engines is to start warming up to a rapidly emerging social media trend. Soon real-time search will be the only search. Facebook is certainly moving in that direction, and Google's new sidebar parameters indicate they are not far behind.
Google was experimenting early in the year with real-time search, but I've noticed lately that they have withdrawn that feature. What does this mean? I can only imagine it suggests that they are about to launch something big.
Now you know a little more about what you previously didn't.
And I expect within a few months, you will know it all.
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