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Google+ Introduces Real-Time Search & Hashtags

In an effort to try and gain some traction and improve the service, Google has released a significant update to the Google+ platform by introducing real-time search and hashtag support. Remember what recently happened, real-time search was a significant update to Google Search a little while back before being discontinued shortly after Twitter failed to renew their agreement with the search giant. Because the real-time data came from Twitter, Google had no choice but to shut that feature down. But they have now bounced back and will be using the Google+ platform’s content to generate the content for the searches. Additionally, the content can now be tagged using hash tags; if users introduce hash tags in their content, it will automatically link to search results, much like Twitter currently does.

Vic Gundotra, Google’s SVP of social, explained the features in a post on Google+ Wednesday. “If you click on this message, or select ‘Most recent,’ then relevant posts will start appearing in real-time.

A 90 second video from Vic was also released on YouTube where you can see him discuss the features in a bit more details right over here.

This is a major gamble for Google, who is hoping that the content on the Google+ platform will be sufficient enough to populate content for the hash tags much like Twitter does. In fact, if successful, this could be a significant leap forward for the Google team as they continue to make changes and introduce new features. And from a marketing stand point, the hash tags means that various companies can finally start running various promotional campaigns on there while they await for the Google+ Business pages to be released at some point in the near future.

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