Google+ offers third party applications search access to public posts

SOCIAL NETWORK Google+ now allows applications to search for public posts as part of its applications programming interface (API).

Google+, which was opened to the public last month, introduced developer APIs to compete with rival social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Now Google has announced that its API will allow users to search for public posts on Google+ through third party applications.

Google+ will allow users to search not just on words in posts but by name, biography, location, tag line and description through its API. Before, Google's API simply allowed users to retrieve posts, but now it showcases the true power of social networks, the ability to track how people are using those posts. For instance, the new Google+ search API can now show who has +1-ed a post and read the comments on a particular post, perfect for data mining.

For Google a lot rests on the popularity of its Google+ APIs. Facebook has already shown how having an API can help increase the use of its social network and the ability for third party developers to incorporate aspects of Google+ into their applications is absolutely vital to the popularity of its burgeoning social network.

Now that developers can not only search for public Google+ posts but see who's interacting with them, there is a growing financial incentive for developers to integrate Google+ into their applications. µ