http://www.huddler.com

“We’re constantly working to make Twitter search the simplest way to discover what’s happening in real time. To that end, today we’re introducing search autocomplete and ‘People you follow’ search results to twitter.com. In addition to recent improvements like related query suggestions, spelling corrections and more relevant search results, these updates make it even easier to immediately get closer to the things you care about.”

Read the full announcement here.

We’re ashamed to say we missed this big event until today (holiday weekend=sunburned brain) but even three days later find ourselves pretty intrigued by Twitter’s Friday announcement.  Search autocomplete not only appeals hugely to our inner sloth (fewer keystrokes!) but also delivers smarter search, telling me what I should be looking for before I even hit return.

What really has Huddler HQ buzzing today though is the addition of Timeline Search. It will surprise no one to be reminded we’re major Interest Graph advocates around here. From both a Consumer Experience and Marketing Results perspective, we believe the interest graph gives users better information (thanks to more passionate, better-informed peers) and marketers greater ROI (because typically interest-graph inhabitants are avid participants in their chosen activity, with significant purchase intent.)

That said, we’ve long maintained that the most powerful consumer experience occurs when the interest graph meets the social graph; when, instead of reading CNET’s blog for advice on which camera to buy, I can go to an expert peer with whom I have a longstanding (albeit virtual) relationship for recommendations on the same. Why? Because context matters: the only thing I can be confident I know for sure about the CNET reporter is that he sees a lot of tech, and CNET thinks he’s an expert. If we add a little social graph to this interest-graph equation, however, I can filter the information I get through the context of my relationship with my peer: I know we’ve been interested in photography for roughly the same amount of time, both prefer shooting portraits to still lifes, and that we both think megapixels are overrated as a metric. That’s a more-informed decision any way you slice it.

Even from a more social perspective, dialogue happening among a smaller circle around a given topic is likely to be more interesting and intimate, and able to draw on shared experiences and common knowledge. In short, what looks like the option to shrink results may really be a chance to build community.