Twitter turns to search to turn a profit?

Twitter is working to convert its popularity into a business and Google has shown that search can make money. So it's notable that Twitter is giving its search function new prominence.

Rather than consigning its Twitter search page to a separate corner of its website, Twitter has begun testing its use on the main Twitter.com page. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said last week in a blog posting: "We've placed Search and Trends into the signed-in homepages of a limited set of accounts to get a better sense of how it works for folks before we release the feature completely into the wild."

Google has taken measures to make its search technology more responsive, with the Google News entries mixed into search results and the index able to include new sites within hours of their arrival. But Twitter search, while vastly more limited, is nevertheless a strong reflection of what people collectively find interesting in the moment, which could be a nice avenue for advertisers trying to catch the latest trends.

Search guru Danny Sullivan says Twitter actually has something the big search engines lack, even if it's not enough to slay the rivals.

"I'm real big on Twitter search," Sullivan said recently at the Search Marketing Expo. He called Twitter search a "hyper-real-time tool to see what's being buzzed about".

Twitter's Stone said: "Searching over Twitter messages is like a filter for what is happening right now - it's an interesting look into the real-time thoughts of people and organisations around the world. Whether you're curious about something specific or you just want to browse the trending topics, we've found that Twitter Search adds a new layer of relevance."

However, Twitter has built a thriving community in part through its use of an open API (application programming interface) that lets people use a wide variety of software to publish and read 'tweets'.

That's great for letting people find the interface they prefer. But it also means Twitter's web-based interface, which changes at a glacial pace, is not the hub of activity for many active Twitter users. The more active you are, the more likely you are to use a third-party tool that can perform handy functions such as spotlight replies, track favoured contacts, shorten long web addresses, and show pop-ups of recent tweets.

The consequence being: a lot of Twitter activity takes place beyond the confines of Twitter's website - which could make built-in Twitter search less directly useful as a potential avenue for revenue.

Original article: Twitter search gains prominence, importance from CNET News.com