PC World reports that Google has added Twitter search functionality to its Google Search Appliance. Along with receiving standard search results from Google, users now have the option of also searching the real-time Twitter network for search results.
“Social information is important for businesses: employees searching for information needed to do their jobs benefit from real-time news too,” said Google product manager Cyrus Mistry in a statement on the Google Blog. “They might be developing a new breakfast cereal, or designing a marketing plan for a clothing line, or writing strategy report for a political campaign. In all of these cases, understanding what is being said just as Twitter users are saying it can be invaluable.”
Google’s adding of Twitter search runs contrary to other statements the company has made about Twitter in the past, including CEO Eric Schmidt calling it “a poor man’s email.”