Google Buzz API adds Track

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Google Buzz never really took off with consumers, but that has not stopped Google from making the platform more accessible to developers.

Google announced a new feature for its Google Buzz API dubbed Track which allows a user to restrict search to a geographic area. Considering that Google just this past Thursday released improved real time search capabilities, this is an announcement of some importance.

"The API allows you to enter a searhc query and from then on receive any new public Google Buzz posts - in real time - that match that query," according to Google.

More details on the update are available on the Google Buzz API documentation site.

Google Acquires Aardvark, Beefs up Social Search?

Mike Phillips — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:10:00 GMT

Google is on a social roll. After announcing social sharing feature Buzz in Gmail, they now have announced the acquisition of Aardvark, a social media search startup. Aardvark is a sort of mashup between services like KGB and Yahoo! Answers. You type a question (from the web, IM, email, Twitter, or iPhone), and Aardvark taps the social Web to find the best person to answer that question. Of course, we won't know exactly how Google will use Aardvark. But if Google Social Search is any indication of where they are headed, it's not hard to imagine this acquisition will support those efforts.

According to Aardvark's FAQs, when you ask a question:

Aardvark then searches through all of the people in your network who are available over IM or email to find the right match for you for that topic. Aardvark considers…

related topics in people's profiles
how you’re connected to people
who you trust about related topics
your history of training Aardvark
people who share your favorites (for taste-related questions)
people in the right location (for location-related questions)
other mysterious factors…

What's interesting to note is that answers are coming from people in your social network, so to speak. You can also connect to Aardvark through Facebook connect. That's rather interesting, as Google currently does not index profile content from Facebook. Is this a workaround to tapping Facebook for search results ... and more?

Whatever the case may be, now that Google is involved, it's a good time to put Aardvark on your radar. Should this become a part of Google's search arsenal, you will want to be in the mix.

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'Net Features : google buzz

Google Buzz API adds Track

Google Acquires Aardvark, Beefs up Social Search?