This is kind of a follow up to Thomas Baekdal’s excellent article here on Twitip “7 Secret Ways To Use Twitter Search” which you should check out as well.

1. Who’s saying stuff about me outside of Twitter?
This search will show you Tweets that people write about you or your company that link out to an external page. This is useful for finding what people are writing about you, or indeed when people link to your site without using your Twitter name
[your name|company] filter:links
Live example: mailchimp filter:links

2. Free Stuff
If you’re on the hunt for freebies, create variants of this search and save them to monitor when companies or bloggers are giving away freebies or offers across Twitter. This will work best if you monitor it over time. Use the “near” search operator to try limiting this to your local area (e.g. near:Sydney).
free code|coupon + keyword
Live example: free code|coupon iphone

3. Who’s showing me love/hate?
The one is a bit sporadic in terms of how effective it is, but if you add a smiley or frown to your search, Twitter (in theory) will show tweets that mention your search term in a positive or negative light. As mentioned, results are not always accurate but this is useful to setup as a monitor if you’re running a marketing campaign and want to keep an eye on the haters …..
@yourname|your real name|company name -filter:links
Live example: ipad

4. Create customers out of thin air
[variants of questions you can answer] ? -filter:links
This one needs a bit of thought and tweaking, but it’s potentially powerful. Essentially, this search finds people asking questions that your product/service/blog post can answer. So if you’ve written a great article on how to use solar power, you might search for:
“solar power” ? -filter:links

That search should show people asking questions related to Solar power due to the ? search operator Twitter supports. Adding the -filter:links will strip links from the results, which are unlikely to be people asking questions of their followers. To further target people asking for advice, just add a “How” or similar at the front.

This creates a constant stream of users you can approach with a recommendation to check out your offering.

Live example: “solar power” ? -filter:links

5. Snipe your competitor’s customers
A variation on (3), this one will find everyone saying negative things in relation to your competitor’s Twitter account, which means it’s time to swoop in and show those neglected souls some love. Add words like “problem” “useless” “unhelpful” to really zero in on unhappy folks.

@competitoraccount
Live example: @microsoft – (switch for your competitors, I didn’t want to single anyone out!)

Bonus Link

Going outside of Twitter, this article on searching Twitter via Google has some absolutely oustanding ideas to try. Lastly, for more on Twitter’s advanced search operators, check out their guide here.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



5 Awesome Twitter Searches

CoTweet.com is a powerful Twitter-centric web application designed to help brands connect with their audience and join the conversation. Although used by some large companies such as Ford, Pepsi and Whole Foods I’ve seen little mention of the tool in the blogosphere and thought it deserved some attention.

Why use CoTweet.com?

• Integrated monitoring and response. By going to cotweet.com/search (after signing up) you can monitor any keyword you wish in a column-based interface. What’s particularly brilliant though is that you can quickly reply to tweets and are given plenty of options including an integrated URL shortener and the ability to schedule your responses.
• Fast and sleek interface. The problem I’ve found with most desktop applications like TweetDeck is they run fairly slow and consume large amounts of resources (mainly at the fault of Adobe Air I believe). CoTweet on the other hand is surprisingly fast and has a sleek Mac-like interface. It looks good but is not overpowering either; a good balance between aesthetics and usability.
• Support for multiple accounts. Many bloggers have multiple Twitter accounts to either differentiate between business and personal or for different projects. CoTweet handles multiple accounts beautifully making it easy for solopreneurs to connect with a range of markets and larger companies to widen their Twitter presence.
• Suitable for teams. For some this’ll be the killer feature. To my knowledge CoTweet is the only Twitter tool that allows multiple users to have access to the same account and assign different tweets to those users. Very useful if you’re a larger company with multiple staff managing the Twitter account, or if you’re running your business as a partnership.
• Gives you all the information you need. Simply click on the username of a Twitterer and a sidebar slides out with every detail about that user, a button to quickly follow that user and also access to past conversations you’ve had with them.

How to use CoTweet.com Effectively

1. Understand search filters. Twitter has quite powerful search filters that most people don’t make use of. Since CoTweet uses Twitter’s API, these same filters apply. A previous guest post on TwiTip covers 7 ways to use Twitter search, so that’s a good starting point. The simplest way to make use of search filters when using CoTweet is to add the line “-from:YOURUSERNAME -RT” (without the quotes) whenever you want to track a certain phrase. This hides your own tweets from and stops re-tweeted content from showing up to prevent duplication.
2. Monitor beyond your brand. Monitoring your own brand is certainly important but will unlikely give your exposure beyond your current boundaries. Consider monitoring:
   • Hash tags. Jump into the conversation beyond specific mentions of products.
   • Names (and Twitter usernames) of industry figures. One thing I do is monitor tweets that mention @tferriss because I know people interested in Tim might be interested in my site, and this gives me a chance to connect with them.
   • Other brands. See how the conversation is flowing around your competitors. If you start seeing trends (like, dislikes etc) you can work them into your overall strategy. Twitter’s search is essentially free market research.
3. Embrace every connection. No connection is worth more or less than any other connection. Reply to and connect with as many people as humanly possible. This may not be effective time-wise, but surprisingly strong bonds can be built in less than 140 characters.
4. Track results with bit.ly. By going to the Integrations tab under Settings you can connect your bit.ly accont to CoTweet. Whenever you use CoTweet to tweet a link you’ll be able to track the number of clicks it gets via the bit.ly interface. This is great for gauging interest in content you share so you can accurately tailor your tweets to your audience.
5. Read the official documentation. There’s plenty of features built in to CoTweet and for some it may be a tad overwhelming (especially those working at larger companies who have a bad case of inertia). Luckily they realised that and there’s plenty of detailed documentation.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



How To Use CoTweet To Join The Conversation

How would you like to end the debate that ‘Twitter is just for sharing what you had for lunch’ once and for all?  This post is about how to use Twitter for a common good, much like I’m doing with the help of my Tweeps in Burlington, VT.

The whole project started with a simple idea, my Twitter handle, and a few hundred interested followers… Let me back up to share what we’re up to.  The Vermont Video Resume Project is dedicated to helping every unemployed Vermonter who wants one get a free Web video resume.  We’re shooting our first round of resumes August 29th to help people find jobs using the social Web.

So how is Twitter such a critical piece of the equation?  Well, when I bought my first HD camcorder I was excited about shooting videos to share on YouTube.  Then I noticed by posting the URLs to Twitter my audience increased exponentially.  That got me to thinking what else is possible using Web video, and how the Twitter community could use it for a good cause.

My community of followers loved the idea of using Web video to help the unemployed, and our local independent newspaper/website offered to partner with me to spread the word.  The project gained critical mass and we eventually joined forces with the local community media station to record the videos at no cost to the participants.

Here’s how you can replicate this project in your own community:

- Crowdsource: Spread your idea like a virus by asking your community of Twitter followers to participate.  You’ll be surprised how the idea can be improved and distributed dramatically with the help of others.

- Establish a Hashtag: This is important.  Using a hashtag enables you to form a community around your cause, and creates a central point of reference using Twitter Search.

- Partner and Promote: Ask for help, because the media loves a worthy cause.  I recommend pinging your local media to participate using their own Twitter feeds, because distribution of your message is critical for awareness and success.  By asking people to become ‘Founding Members’ of your project they will be empowered to spread the word for you.

Finally, have fun!  Be open to new ideas and don’t be afraid if the project changes form.  Twitter is an incredible distribution medium and will help you spearhead a cause that promotes a common good.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



3 Ways To Create Social Change Using Twitter

Back in the mid 1990s, I worked at Paramount Pictures and their emergent television network, the now defunct United Paramount Network. It was a great time to be at Paramount if you were a Star Trek fan. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in the middle of its run and Star Trek: Voyager had just premiered to ratings that rivaled some super bowls. In addition, Star Trek: First Contact was in production and when I wasn’t constantly running into people like Jonathan Frakes, Avery Brooks, and Colm Meaney, I was running into Klingons, Borg and Ferengi.

I was fortunate; I had access to the back lot and often visited many of the sound stages. I’ve sat in the cockpit of the plane from Wings, strolled down the New York Street (see, “Stages/NY Streets/Locations, Page 2, scroll to mid-page) and even caught the winning pass that won the Super Bowl (a rare acting opportunity for me on an utterly forgettable TV series). And while I’ve actually walked the decks of the Enterprise, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, the one thing I really wanted, the one thing I coveted, the one thing that no one except for special guests of the studio would ever have, was to sit in the Captain’s chair of a starship.

But now, I have my chance; and you do too. Showing now until September 20, 2009, at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute (check here for other cities), you can go where no mere civilian has ever gone before. You too can sit in the Captain’s chair!

So why are you reading about the Star Trek Exhibit? Because of how I found out about it; via Twitter. Yes, the staff of the Star Trek Exhibit is using our favorite service to promote the exhibition. The following is a short interview with @StarTrekExhibit about how and why they’re using Twitter.

Engage!

Tell me about the purpose of the exhibit and the people behind it?

Star Trek the Exhibition is the largest collection of authentic Star Trek artifacts and information ever put on public display featuring sets, costumes, priceless museum pieces and props from all five Star Trek television series and eleven Star Trek feature films, including the new blockbuster film most recently released. The purpose of the exhibit is to let the fans see, touch and experience Start Trek on a new level.

Tell me about the purpose of the exhibit and the people behind it?

Star Trek the Exhibition is the largest collection of authentic Star Trek artifacts and information ever put on public display featuring sets, costumes, priceless museum pieces and props from all five Star Trek television series and eleven Star Trek feature films, including the new blockbuster film most recently released. The purpose of the exhibit is to let the fans see, touch and experience Start Trek on a new level.

Why did you decide to use Twitter?

We know that Twitter is just one way to connect with both old and new Star Trek fans. The movie has helped to encourage people who would not consider themselves “Trekkers” or “Trekkies” to engage in discussions about Star Trek. We wanted to be a part of that discussion.

What are your goals for using Twitter?

We want to make people aware of this amazing collection of Star Trek items (http://www.startrekexhibition.com/) and give them the opportunity to help bring the exhibit to their city.

Do you have any Twitter related events/tie-ins planned to promote the exhibit?

We are working on putting together a VIP tour of the exhibit where we invite influential bloggers, Twitter users and the media. From there we would work with these influencers to organize tweet-up with discounted tickets for the group.

Are you tracking how many people visit the exhibit based on your tweets?

Not yet, but that is our goal.

What tools do you use to manage Twitter?

Currently we use tools like NearbyTweets, Twellow, TwitterGrader, and the Twitter search tool to follow people who are local to the current exhibits or interested in Star Trek.

What other Social Media resources are you using?

We recently redesigned our website and included a blog that has interesting commentary on how Start Trek has inspired people and its influence in our culture. In addition, the exhibit has drawn a lot of interest from teachers as a tool to use in discussing science, culture, even history (there are teacher’s guides on the website). We know that educators, including the home schooling community are an active online community, and we are looking at this area as a way to expand our social media reach.

Where else is the Star Trek Exhibition going to be?

Right now the exhibit is in Philadelphia at the Franklin Institute and in Detroit at the Detroit Science Center. On the website we have a feature where you can notify your local museum that you want Star Trek the Exhibition to come to your city. We’ll be using that information as we discuss the next venue – so definitely use that form, and encourage your friends too as well if they want to see the exhibit in a local museum or science center!

Do you think Twitter will be around in the 23rd century?

If Twitter isn’t around in the 23^rd century, then there will be something similar. People are getting used to receiving information in quick snippets. The key will be to develop filters that help people set limits and organize when and from whom they receive the information…and technology that ties all their sources into one feed. The issue will be time management and helping people ’shut down’ for a few hours a day.

Would Captain Kirk use Twitter?

Definitely, he would use Twitter to stay on top of breaking news in the galaxy.

Which do you prefer; Kirk or Spock? TOS, TNG or Reboot? Trekkie or Trekker?

We like them all!  Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future opened minds and inspired young people everywhere to imagine new possibilities and to believe that even the sky is not the limit. The continuation of that vision through TNG and through fans (however they identify themselves) just proves that humans see the importance of imagining the future.

Tweet Long and Prosper

To Boldly Sit Where I Have Never Sat Before

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Star Trek Exhibition Tweets New Worlds

Let’s face it, Twitter is all about search. Real time search. Why else would they redesign their home page to show off their search functionality? The amount of real-time information pulsing through their service at any given minute is impressive, to say the least.

But for all that, Twitter’s built-in search is a frustratingly limited tool, providing access to a very limited amount of the data set available via the web site or their API.

Enter TweepSearch, a search application built by Damon Cortesi that allows you to search through the profile information of over 10 million unique accounts.

Here are three things you can do with TweepSearch that you can’t do with Twitter Search:

Search By Profession

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find other marketers on Twitter? Other journalists? Other social media experts? Well it turns out that you can, at least as far as people volunteer their professions in their profile.

Searching for “journalist” on Tweepsearch yields, at the time I write this, 16,099 people you could potentially follow. “Marketer” pulls in 89,061.

These are all people who have added the term “Journalist” or “Marketer” somewhere in their Twitter bio information. You’re not going to get everyone of course, but then again, you’re probably not going to follow 16,000 people, either.

Search by URL

Let’s take the “profession” trick one step further; what if you wanted to find out who, on twitter, is associated with a certain business URL.

It’s a bit of a hack because TweepSearch won’t independently search the URL field, so if someone types a URL into their “bio” field, it will also show up too. That said, it works pretty well.

Say you want to know who on Twitter is associated with the game Spymaster. A good start would be to search for people who list playspymaster.com as their profile URL. Type:

www.playspymaster.com

into TweepSearch, and you’ll see a list of 22 results. Easy enough to comb through and pluck the real ones from the list.

Search within someone’s friends

Another cool trick you can pull with TweepSearch is to search within the bios of someone’s friends only. For example, if we wanted to see how many of Robert Scoble’s friends mention Rackspace in their bio, we’d type the following into the search box:

@scobleizer rackspace only:friends

This particular search turns up 69 friends. I Guess Scoble is popular at the office

There are a number of other cool types of search you can do based on the data Damon has available through TweepSearch. If you’re interested, there’s even a handy help page to walk you through it.

Happy hunting.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Three Twitter Searches You Didn’t Think Were Possible

• Twitter used for DoS Attacks in Iran (nytimes.com)
• Profiles.im – Tool to create a more detailed Twitter profile. Create your account, edit the information, and use your custom URL in your Twitter account profile for a great landing page that mimics your Twitter page. It even pulls your Twitter background, RSS feeds, and offers you much more than 140 characters to talk about yourself! Here’s mine (still in progress): Lara Kulpa
• Fixing the Twitter Reply Black Hole (blogherald.com)
• Mainstream Media Still Has Eyes Wide Shut (techcrunch.com) – Twitter search was “broken” by the news of the death of King of Pop Michael Jackson.
• 5 tools to measure Twitter success (lansner.freedomblogging.com)
• Twittering adds up to home sales (lansner.freedomblogging.com) – Great tips for real estate agents on Twitter.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Sunday Roundup: Replies, Breaking Twitter, and Profile Expansion

Twitter Search is just amazing because it can give you real-time feedback about pretty much everything. That is, if you know how to look for it. Here is how:

Before we start I need to point out that both TweetDeck and Seesmic (my two favorite Twitter apps – with Seesmic being the #1) allows you to open special search panels, allowing you to “follow” a search term, instead of a person.

This is a great way to keep on top of things.

The Secrets…

1: Get up to speed with all the latest buzz

The primary way that I keep up-to-speed on social networking is to follow a social networking search. For instance, let say you want to get all the new links about social media, not including the many re-tweets that people make.

Simply search for:

“social web” OR “social media” OR “social news” -rt filter:links

2: Find all the people who are not talking about you directly

Another thing you might want to do is to find all the people who talks about you (or your product) but isn’t including you directly. E.g. If I want to find all the people who mention my name, but aren’t replying to me.

Simply search for:

Baekdal -to:baekdal -from:baekdal -@baekdal

Note: You can also find everyone who links to you via BackTweets

3: Get all reactions across multiple twitter profiles

Another thing you might want to do is to get all the replies and mentions that refer to you, across multiple twitter profiles. For instance, I have 7 twitter profiles and I would really like to see everything in one place.

Simply search for:

to:baekdal OR to:baekdalarticles OR to:baekdaldesign OR to:baekdalnotes OR to:baekdal24hours (etc…)

BTW: Seesmic will do this automatically in the reply panel (which is one of the main reason why I prefer it over other Twitter apps).

4: Follow what people are saying about your competitors

You also may want to follow not only what your competitors are saying on Twitter, but also how people respond to them. All you need to do is to simply search for:

from:competitor OR from:competitor

E.g. If your competitor is H&M (@handm), you can search for

from:handm OR to:handm

5: Only follow links from certain people

One of the problem of following people on Twitter is that you don’t get to decide what to hear. Sometimes you just want to know about the links that they share, and not hear all the chit-chat.

Let’s say that you only want to see the links that I share, then you simply search from:

from:baekdal filter:links

6: Only get the new info about a topic

One of the most common way to use Twitter search is to search for hashtags or product names. But the results are very often filled with identical tweets.

So if you want to search for anything about ‘American Airlines’ but without the re-tweeted stuff

“american airlines” -rt -via

7: Find all shared pictures about a topic.

It can be really interesting to see only the pictures that people post about a certain topic or event. During this year’s Le Mans, I was continually following every picture that people tweeted. You do this by simply searching for:

“le mans” twitpic OR yfrog OR post.ly OR twitgoo OR pikchur filter:links

BTW: Another way to search for images is to use Twicsy

Have you figured out any other ways to use Twitter Search that you’d like to share? How about trying these above techniques and letting us know what you think, in the comments?

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



7 ‘Secret’ Ways To Use Twitter Search

Finding your community in Twitter can sometimes be a challenge, especially for Twitter beginners. Social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and NING have flourishing and established communities that are easy to find. Twitter has some growing and thriving communities too but it’s often a best-kept Twitter secret.

Enter #hashtags and Twitter chats.

Twitter chats offer an effective way to meet people with similar interests and share insights into specific topic. Currently there are more than 35 weekly scheduled Twitter chats on certain days and times with like-minded professionals discussing a variety of questions. Here’s how you can find your Twitter community and participate in a Twitter Chat.

Step 1: Find And Use The Hashtag

Using a hashtag, a symbol – # – followed by a name or abbreviation, people broadcast their tweets to a specific group and follow others tweeting with the same hashtag. The hashtag is one of the keys needed to engage successfully in a Twitter chat. Use the list below to find the Twitter chat and subsequent hashtag that interests you.

Step 2: Use A Twitter Chat Tool To Monitor The Conversation

Twitter veterans know that the second key to successful twitter chat participation is to fine-tune their Twitterstation to remove all the Twitter noise. Like dialing into your favorite radio station and removing all the unnecessary static and chatter, these tools help you follow the conversation without being bombarded by other unrelated tweets. A list of ten Twitter chat tools is listed below. Following a conversation with Twitter’s main Web page is difficult and by the time you hit refresh and find tweets with the hashtag, you’ve missed most of the conversation.

Step 3: Tweet Using These Twitter Chat Basics

Once you’ve identified the hashtag for your community and the Twitter chat tool that works best for you, it’s time to get involved. Login to Twitter and your Twitter chat tool at the appropriate date and time, and watch for the moderator to announce the start of the chat. Now that you know the hashtag, remember to include it in your tweets so others can see your comments and questions.

Most Twitter chats, like #journchat, have some type of established ground rules and culture as people discuss specific topics or questions. Many chats have a moderator to help guide and facilitate the discussion. For example, #eventprofs has a moderator for each chat and established moderator instructions and guidelines. Some Twitter chats allow participants to post random questions and some suggest that the group stay on topic. I’ve seen some Twitter chats with guest experts leading a discussion and answering questions. Some groups archive their weekly chats on a wiki, in their Linkedin group, on a website or on wtHashtag.

Step 4: Now Go, Tweet And Participate

With some practice, hashtags and one of these third party Twitter applications listed below, even beginners can tune-in and participate in a robust Twitter discussion. Here’s to finding your Twitter community and I hope to tweet with you in a Twitter chat in the future!

Twitter Chat Tools

Tweetchat

Tweetchat, a web-based interface, recently made some upgrades and you can use the upgraded version or old one. Login to tweetchat with your Twitter username and password. Once your login has been authenticated with Twitter, enter the hashtag. This will take you to the tweetchat room with your custom Twitter background where you’ll be able to follow the conversation. Tweetchat settings allow you to pause the chat, set the refresh rate, and feature or block specific users. Each tweet you enter into the box will automatically be tagged with the official hashtag. Note: If your username is not showing up in Tweetchat, contact the developers and let them know. (Tweetchat is my personal favorite.)

Tweetgrid

Tweetgrid, a web-based dashboard that allows you to search and view up to nine different hashtags at once. Unlike other Twitter chat tools, you do not need a Twitter account to follow a conversation but you will not be able to tweet without a Twitter account. Open Tweetgrid, choose a grid layout, enter your username, password, hashtag, and enter your tweet in tweet box. Tweetgrid offers settings, photos and DM. If you’re following more than one conversation, you’ll have to enter the hashtag in the appropriate box each time each time you tweet.

Tweetdeck

You’ll have to download this free application to your desktop in order to use. Once downloaded, you’ll need to set one column to search the hashtag by clicking on the magnifying glass and entering the hashtag. You can move that column to the right or left in your Tweetdeck dashboard. You can also change the settings such as background color, font color, refresh rates, etc. Each time you tweet for the specific conversation, you’ll need to add the hashtag. (I use Tweetdeck as my normal Twitter interface and keep columns for following specific hashtags open always. That way I can connect with people in those communities outside of the scheduled Tweet chats.)

Twubs

A newer web-based interface that integrates a variety of media including photos and videos. Unlike tweetchat, tweetgrid and monitter, it also incorporates a URL shortening tool. Sign in to Twubs with your username and password, and enter the hashtag. Twubs automatically adds the hashtags to your tweets, allows you to filter users and has real time refreshing. Twubs also has a widget that you can embed on your website or blog.

Monitter

A web-based interface that allows you to follow up to three hashtags at once. You can only tweet to @replies or send retweets, and you’ll have to enter your username, password and hashtag each time you send a tweet. (This is my least favorite of all the Twitter chat tools.)

WhatTheHashtag (wtHashtag)

A web-based user-editable encyclopedia for hashtags; wiki of registered hashtags. This interface includes a variety of information about specific Twitter chats including a description, schedule and moderator, planned topic queue, stats and top contributors, the ability to view and save a transcript of tweets within a certain date and view the Twitter chat via Monitter. You cannot tweet from wtHashtag. Tip: If you want to know what a specific hashtag stands for, follow wtHashtag. Once they are following you, DM them the hashtag and they’ll reply with the definition on file.

RSS Feeds

If you like reading feeds, you can grab a feed for your hashtag group in Twitter search. Enter the hashtag and then copy the link in “Feed for this query” into your feed reader. Using RSS feeds, you can’t participate in the discussion and send tweets, but you can follow the chat.

TweeTree

Web-based interface that monitors hashtags. Login with username, password and enter hashtag in search function. TweeTree pulls in some additional content like photos, videos, blog posts of some approved vendors so that you can see the link’s content in your stream without clicking the link. You’ll have to remember to add the hashtag to your tweets when participating in the discussion in TweeTree.

Roomatic

Web-based dashboard. Login with user name, password and enter hashtag. You’ll see the tweets in a horizontal grid format with a very small font. Roomatic does not have any settings that you can change to make the font size bigger or change the refresh rate. It does automatically include the hashtag of tweets. You cannot send a reply or DM through Roomatic.

Twemes

Web-based interface that lets you follow hashtag and conversation. You cannot tweet from Twemes.

List of Twitter Chats

Editable Google Doc list of Twitter chats created by Robert Swanwick @spkrinteractive.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Tweeting With Your Twitter Community: How To Participate In A Twitter Chat

New features and improvements:

• Rank: It’s getting more accurate over time, more parameters are taken into account.
• New sidebar with related content:
  • Top-ranked related Twitter users containing the searched keyword on their bio (taken from Tweepfind.com)
  • Related content from other blogs/website: Mashable, Techcrunch, R&W Web, CNN, NY Times, Venturebeat, Techmeme, BBC, Google News
  • Latest related content from Friendfeed
  • Related content from YouTube
• Google (and Bing soon) search immediately available for the same keywords and results enriched with thumbnails.

Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments!

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Tweefind – Rank-based Twitter Search Engine Update

It sounds a bit funny to discuss Twitter as the hive mind when so few are tapping into the potential of communal thought, but I wager this audience is pushing their use of technology more than the average early adopter. I’m also assuming in this post that you’ve recognized the potential that we have to connect, create, store, and retrieve data using Twitter’s search function. If you haven’t, you may want to read my post here on Twitip about searching Twitter – it’s a good introduction. There are lots of awesome ways you can search through the conversation on Twitter. You can find people that are tweeting from certain locations, about certain subjects, or at certain times. However, this ability is being threatened. I’m now calling upon the 7,000 of you who subscribe to this blog to help us all in a valiant cause.

The Hive Mind is Losing Its Memory

I’ll cut to the chase. Twitter isn’t keeping up with all of the new members of the hive mind and the ever increasing number of daily tweets. As Kate pointed out in the comments on my last post the number of days we can search backwards is quickly growing shorter as the hive mind continues to lose its memory. At the time of writing I can search back 28 days. What happens when we can’t search backwards at all? A better question might be: what are we losing if we can’t search backwards? Right now we’re losing the election, the inauguration, the super bowl, your customers talking about your product launch, your grandmother getting on Twitter for the first time. The list goes on.

So What Do We Do?

I’ve informed you of the impending threat to search. Now what? I’d like you to use your voice to express your concern over the demise of Twitter’s search. Let the hive mind know you’re eager to access the deep recesses of its memory. (Oh yeah, if you’re a business I’ll remind you that this is really important for you…you know – that whole market research thing.)

We Save the Hive Mind

A friend of mine and extremely talented creative, Gaius Benbow, has done us the honor of creating these badges you can place on your blog or website. It’s a simple way of increasing awareness about the current state of Twitter search. With enough movement behind this, and some help from the funding Twitter has recently received, hopefully we can save our memory. I encourage you to take this badge and wear it proudly. (Please save it to your own server!) I suggest linking it back to this post so people have an idea of what you’re talking about. Oh yeah, if you feel like making some noise about this on Twitter I think that would work too.

Long live the hive mind.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Save The Hive Mind