Google Gives Twitter The 'Broadest Audience Possible'

Twitter Inc TWTR data began to show up in Google Inc GOOG this week when the social network announced a new way to discover tweets. This is the start of a partnership that was formed last winter and could have significant implications for Twitter. The initial rollout only applies to the mobile Web and the Google app within iOS and Android, but full desktop support will be coming later this year. "It's not new news, it's the beginning of the fulfillment of the deal announced much earlier this year," Stephen Bradley, founder and CEO of AuthorBee (a company that filters timeline posts and organizes them into stories), told Benzinga. "What new news in there is in the implementation -- how the integration of the Twitter content will be presented in the Google searches." Even with the announcement Bradley thinks the deal will be in flux for some time, but said it could be a "big win" for brands with high Twitter activity. More importantly, Google will allow Twitter to reach more individuals than ever before. "Google gives them the broadest audience possible and will drive not only traffic, but more importantly new traffic from consumers who do not use Twitter currently," Bradley added.

Related Link: What Will Microsoft And Yahoo Do If The Google-Twitter Partnership Takes Off?

'Part Of The Original Plan'

Twitter expert Sean Udall said this was all "part of the original plan." "Ninety-eight percent of the people just don't 'get it' and won't get it until 2X4's are smacking them over the head with actual data showing how well this (deal) is working," Udall, CIO of Quantum Trading Strategies and author of The TechStrat Report, told Benzinga. "Simply put, why wouldn't Google post/use/transmit/highlight etc. the Twitter data via mobile and frankly all of their platforms and avenues of search/social reach?" Udall said that if anyone thought Google wasn't going to do this, it shows a "complete lack of understanding" of the situation.

Different Content

Bradley said that while he understands the benefits of this relationship for both parties, "I don't personally believe that a traditional search engine such, as Google -- or Twitter, for that matter -- is the right vehicle for consumers to discover and access social content." "Social content is not at all the same as Web content," he said. "Discovering and just clicking on a social link is not as much an end result as it is on the Web -- it's more likely the beginning of a journey." Bradley said it is more important to look at where the user goes from that link. "Where does it lead them next, and next, and next," he concluded. "I see social discovery more as a pathway than a pinboard, more like a curated playlist than a search result." Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report.