Gerry Campbell, former senior vice president of search for AOL and a former president of search and content at Reuters, and his team of technology veterans have brought a different kind of search to users. On Thursday, they launched the beta version of Collecta, a real-time search service that allows users to type in queries to find results that are happening in real time. Collecta sifts through the Web for information and tracks results from news stories, blog posts, micro-blogging updates and social-status messages. It provides real-time streams of results at Collecta.com, using its Extensible Messaging and Performance Protocol (XMPP) platform. Unlike other instant-messaging protocols, XMPP is an open standard. The service relies heavily on information flowing from high-velocity sources such as Twitter.com, a micro-blogging site, and WordPress.com, a blogging service. Search Alternative The new service will have to compete with the likes of Google, Yahoo, Bing and other Web sites that offer search, but Campbell said Collecta offers

something different from its competitors. “What Collecta is doing that is different is instead of gathering, indexing and analysis and ranking, what it is all about is taking something from one point (the publishers) and sending it to the other (our users’ browsers),” Campbell said. “You could watch messages, posts and pictures flow through.” Once users receive the results, they can also manage the collections of searches on stories and conversations they care most about, including their company, a car they may be considering, or a favorite actor. It also displays which search queries are considered popular at the time of search. Just hours after launching the service, Campbell said the team has been busy. “We are getting hammered; it is fantastic, exciting and nerve-wracking,” Campbell said. Real-Time Glitches Part of offering real-time information is also receiving real-time feedback. Entering the search query “Gerry Campbell” to…

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Collecta Joins Search Wars with Real-Time Results