We all know what the "hashtag" is - it's that invention by Twitter where you start with a # and can have really long tags such as #thisisareallyreallyreallylongtag. Some people love using hashtags, while some others absolutely hate them and want them gone.

Well, Google has ensured that the hashtag will be around for much longer, as it announced that Google Search will be indexing hashtag search terms. But there's only one caveat - it will only pull results from Google Plus, at least for the moment anyway. Take that Twitter!

Of course, with all things Google, this is only available initially to users in the US and Canada, so we thank the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to check this out. If you enter a search term, let's say the recent Emmys - #emmys - you will get a new sidebar, showing the discussions on Google Plus (if any) for that particular topic.

This is a neat way for Google to further integrate their social network into their search results. If users had to choose between Facebook and Google Plus, most would probably choose Facebook. By having Google Plus results right there on the Google search page, this is another attempt to entice people away from Zuck's place and into Google's place instead.

To get more information about the new feature, and to immediately give your opinion about it on Google Plus, see the announcement post by Google. But of course, don't forget to give your opinion in our comments section too.

Source: Engadget