Real-Time is really real

With Google now having access to Twitter's massive database (and Bing already with the capabilities), it is official. Real-time is here to stay. I think it's interesting what we now call real-time though used to be called user-generated content. Actually, real-time is the next step of user-generated content. Now, UGC is so commonplace that the next step is to aggregate these reviews, commentaries, opinions, blogs, tweets, RSS news feeds by time.

It's also interesting that Google adopted and implemented this idea so late in the game for real-time search engines. Google is seen as an innovator, but they certainly let Bing jump on the ball with this. Also, numerous search engines have popped up which use real-time as an active part of their algorithm (see Collecta, Topsy, or the landing page for Twitter). Though they're miles ahead with Google Wave, which does use real-time as the main ingredient, as well as Google Chrome.

All in all though, Google is in an interesting position. They are creating products that have the ability to make people's lives simpler. Their business model is sound and they are constantly expanding their opportunities, but always within their scope (their scope being Internet-based innovations). They have done an uncanny job of adjusting themselves to the push, pull, and sway of the Internet and its capabilities. They are a case study organization.

What I find interesting is if I ask myself if they are changing our, the regular person's, scope? Are they pushing the boundaries for the benefit of people or have they essentially created a huge arsenal of products to move people closer to the Internet? Was it inevitable anyways? I'm not sure I've worked out the answers to these questions. There's no question that the Web is moving to the central part of people's lives, but should our whole lives be on the web? I'm not sure I want Chrome OS to save all my documents, pictures, personal information, search history in the Google Cloud. My whole life on the web. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet, but I guess I better start preparing myself.