Real-time search provider Collecta has released a new API program. "Starting today, developers can plug into Collecta’s network for free," a representative for the company tells WebProNews. "In light of the recent Tweetie acquisition, we believe that taking advantage of Collecta’s Twitter-compatible, 15+M source real-time network can give developers a real competitive edge."

"Developers have built some amazing applications using data from Twitter’s network," says Collecta CEO Gerry Campbell. "Collecta’s API allows developers to extend their tools far beyond Twitter, to the rest of the real-time web."

Collecta’s Twitter-compatible API delivers real-time web results, in a format the company says is simple to integrate into any desktop app, mobile app or web app. This means third-party developers can now integrate fresh streaming results from Collecta’s base of social media, established news, and unique content sources directly into their applications.

Sites like CNET and MySpace, and apparently thousands of others are already using Collecta, and today’s announcement will allow many more to join them.

"We want to support the explosion of creativity in the real-time space," says Campbell. "We love seeing new, clever ways to take advantage of Collecta’s real-time data. We’ve done a lot of the hard work to create the real-time stream so that app companies can focus on their specific ideas."

More information about how to implement the Collecta API can be found here.