A little over a month ago, a new real time search engine entered the scene. It was called Collecta, and while still in Beta, they have announced some big improvements today.
The company has released a new set of feature enhancements, which improve the way Collecta handles pictures and video uploads in its real-time search stream. Searches now include vidoe feeds from 12seconds, uStream and Qik — tapping into the rising number of video clips uploaded from mobile phones, webcams, and digital cameras. Enhancements have also been made to how Collecta handles TwitPic and yfrog, two photo and media sharing services for Twitter.
“Analyzing traffic patterns since the launch has offered some interesting insights — we’re finding that a large number of users are keeping Collecta open between 30-60 minutes and often even more,” said Gerry Campbell, CEO of Collecta. “This underscores the real power of Collecta and its endless stream of live updates and information. By letting a search run for an extended period, people can literally watch stories unfold right before their eyes.”
He continued, “For example, it was fascinating to follow the shuttle launch on Collecta. At launch, posts spiked in Florida — with people posting pictures from their phones. Then just as updates started tapering down in Florida, we instantly started seeing posts pop up in Ireland, as the shuttle flew overhead with the bright orange fuel tank distinctly visible. Where else can people watch a global event evolve across the ocean, at the same time it’s happening?”
Collecta’s announcement comes just on the heels of Twitter’s home page redesign, which highlights its own search tool in a bigger way than ever before. Twitter Search could actually help Collecta though. The more average Twitter users that realize there is a purpose for real time search, the more they may realize that the concept could be applied to other sites/networks, and there are other search engines (like Collecta) out there that embody that.
