Google+ allows real-time search, improves hashtag support

Members of Google's upcoming social network Google+ may soon benefit from real-time search and improved support for hashtags. Vic Gundotra, Google's Senior Vice-President of Social Business, said these should make it easier to follow and contribute to live events on Google+. "Together, we're trying to make it easier to follow and contribute to live events on Google+, including breaking news, sporting events, and many others," he said in a Google+ post. He said those who search in Google+ will see a message about new posts the instant they are available. Clicking on the message, or selecting "Most recent" will let relevant posts start appearing in real time. On the other hand, Gundotra noted people have long used hashtags to mark their posts with certain topics. "You don't have to use hashtags on Google+ (search works fine without them), but when you do, we'll automatically link to search results," he said. A separate article on tech site Mashable said the improvements will come as welcome additions for Google+ power users, journalists and media types interested in keeping up with breaking news on Google+. While the search updates may do little to convince more casual social networkers to stick around on the social site or give it second chance, they may have some long-term significance. "We expect this technology to become the foundation for a revamped real-time search experience on Google.com itself," it said. It noted Google Realtime Search went on hiatus in July after Google failed to reach an agreement with Twitter for continued access to its firehose of data. — LBG, GMA News