Twitter is adding a search feature to its main page, fulfilling an announcement it made in February, in a quest for potential profitability. Whether or not Twitter is looking to challenge Google in some aspect of the search arena, the question still remains of how useful Twitter will eventually prove to be as an enterprise application.Twitter is integrating a search function into its site, a move that
will put the company in a more direct competition with Facebook and
Google. Twitter is an online service that allows people to post
instant messages, known as "tweets," which can be read by
other users.
The company has had a search function for some time at
search.twitter.com, but only began putting a search box on a growing number of
users' pages starting March 6. Twitter has also included a
"Trends" menu where users can see the subjects currently generating
the most online traffic (such as "Watchmen movie").
The move promises to increase competition with Facebook
and Google, which have been trying to strengthen their search and social networking
capabilities.
Twitter's rise as a messaging and collaboration phenomenon has been rapid, but
with it has come a few issues, particularly concerns over phishing
vulnerabilities. In January 2008, news spread of a Twitter-based
phishing campaign designed to steal account data with promises of an iPhone.
Twitter co-founder Biz
Stone also cautioned that privacy issues surrounding text messages may arise in
connection with Twitter at some point.
Those potential problems aside, Twitter's move to highlight its search
function may be an indicator of the company's future plans to acquire revenue.
"A search function offers opportunities to sell online advertising. For
years there's been a notion of capturing eyeballs and, once you have them on
the site, leveraging that relationship for additional revenues," Charles
King, an analyst with Pund-IT Research, said in an interview.
While many organizations have started using Twitter, often as a way to
connect with customers, the service's value to the enterprise is
still unclear.
"I can see how it would work for certain people in an organization, but
it can suck the time out of your day," King said. "It's not quite a
defined benefit yet."