Google Updates Search Algorithm To Compete With Twitter and Facebook

Google goes for real-time results.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Google may be the dominant search engine, responsible for two-thirds of all searches, but with the explosion of Twitter and Facebook, it’s become increasingly clear that its role has been to serve as an archive instead of providing real-time results. Thus, the company has tweaked its search algorithm to improve its ability to provide instant news bits, therein affecting 35 percent of all search queries.

“Depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old,” wrote Google employee Amit Singhal, describing the algorithm’s mission to be both recent and relevant.

The move comes after Google ended its google.com/realtime, a real-time search powered by Twitter, after a contract between the two expired in the summer.

[via New York Times]

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