Why do we ignore 'real-time' results from Google search?, Charles Arthur, Guardian (Mar 9)
Do searchers even notice the real-time results at Google, Bing, and Yahoo? They aren't that easy to see.
"Users ignore "real time" results in searches. That's the conclusion of some eye-tracking studies carried out on people doing usability studies with Google results, and it might not be good news for Twitter - which has done deals with Google and Bing to let them index its content and serve it up in the results for searches. Google is reckoned to be paying $15m, and Bing $10m - though the length of the deal isn't known."
And there is the other question - are they even useful? They can be for news now.
"When you're trying to find out about breaking news that affects you, they'll definitely look damn useful - for instance, if you've heard about a natural or other disaster at a location where you know a relative is living or visiting, you'll want to search and find out what's happening. "
The article doesn't say this - but there are many better places to look. Twitter itself, OneRiot, Collecta and others.