The topic of real time is coming up regularly  in conversation, application updates, and blog posts.  This leads me to believe that the real-time Web is coming of age.

Real-time applications are those that offer no delay in transmission and delivery of information or actions. Real time is the buzzword and  next major step in Web technology.

Google Wave will play a major role later this year in advancing this for the mainstream Internet. But you don’t have to wait: Real-time applications are available now.

Communication on the Web is fast. Important information is retweeted across the Web and around the world in a matter of minutes.  Unfortunately, applications such as Google Talk or AIM require waiting for a response from the people you are chatting with — delaying the progress of a conversation.  Real time on today’s Web means quick delivery after the content creator hits the send button.

Real time in the future means seeing what people are typing while they are typing, responding to blog comments as they are posted, viewing the world’s images as they are created, and receiving analytics as they are generated.

The Holy Grail for computer companies will be to create computers and operating systems that turn on at the speed of a light switch.  The Internet and its applications share the same dream.

The Internet has the advantage. Applications are being offered closer to real-time each month.

Imagine receiving feeds in your favorite RSS reader within seconds of the author pressing the publish button.  It is being worked on now. You may visit David Winer’s progress here http://rsscloud.org/

Earlier this week Facebook started to roll out its new real-time search, following in the footsteps of its recent acquisition of FriendFeed. Users are able to find the latest updates on current topics within their community.   This release is designed to rival Twitter’s powerful real-time search.

Today’s searches in the social media realm offer the most current information. Google search results feel like reading the daily newspaper filled with yesterday’s news.  In today’s fast-paced world, even Google is not up-to-date enough.

This is why Google feels the need to update their algorithm. A new Google — code-named caffeine — is coming soon with faster results and more current information.

The prospects for more real-time applications are exciting, but the reality is such speed will also offer added demands.  Clients will expect even quicker responses.  A returned e-mail two hours later or a phone call the next morning will be unacceptable.

Our words, images and video will stream to the Net, or favorite social media hangout in real time. Our friends and associates will comment on the imagery  and our thoughts before the event is complete or video is fully uploaded.