Yahoo to Add Real-Time Search Results - WSJ.com

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By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO

Yahoo Inc. said it is testing a new search feature that will show people results based on relevant information being shared by Internet users in real-time.

People familiar with the matter said Yahoo is testing real-time search results through a partnership with Web search start-up OneRiot Inc., along with other companies. The OneRiot test is scheduled to go live this week.

In a statement, Yahoo said the real-time shortcuts will only appear on certain search queries and that the company is still weighing whether to integrate the results across its user base.

The OneRiot deal is independent from Yahoo's deal to outsource some of its search features to Microsoft Corp., according to a person familiar with the matter.

Unlike traditional Web search results, which are ranked by methods like analyzing what sort of Web pages link to a particular Web page, OneRiot's results are based on the links that people are sharing through services like Twitter and Digg and other data. Searching OneRiot for "Michelle Obama," for instance, may bring up a link to reports about her recent Halloween costume instead of a link to a biography.

Yahoo's move underscores how the largest search properties are focusing on timelier search results.

In October, Microsoft and Google Inc. announced deals with Twitter designed to help them add similar capabilities to their search services.

Still, the search engines are faced with the challenge of figuring out when real-time content is relevant or just clutter. In addition, the business model for real-time search is murky.

In an interview last week, Twitter Chief Executive Evan Williams said Twitter is trying to tackle some of those problems. The San Francisco company is devoting more engineering resources to its own Twitter search engine and is focusing on how to show people the most relevant tweet, Mr. Williams said, not just the latest one that matches the terms they searched.