The Power of Searching On Twitter
Okay, you’ve been on Twitter a couple of weeks, have gained a few followers, started to get the hang of chatting with friends and family in “real time”. What else can you do with Twitter? Is it just a glorified chat program, or is there more to this form of social media than meets the eye?
Twitter is actually a great deal more powerful and useful than you might imagine. It has great search capabilities, if you know what to do, whether you are looking for people, information, or a job. Once you learn about Twitter’s capability to pull up information, you will wonder how you got along without it.
Whether on the main Twitter page or using a third-party software such as TweetDeck, Twhirl, or other programs to help you manage your Twitter-verse, there is a search field included. Enter the keywords or description of what you’re looking for, and every mention of that particular subject will pop up in a separate column.
Some of these mentions may not be of much use, just bits and pieces of conversation between Twitter buddies. However, in sifting through the mentions you could find exactly what you’re looking for. For instance, perhaps you’re looking for information regarding health care, or breaking news on the latest tech gadget. Simply enter the keyword of your interest, and plenty of information is available for your perusal.
Twitter search is also a powerful tool for job searches. Enter the keyword for the career in which you’re interested, and chances are there are employers looking for suitable candidates for jobs. Often links are included that will take you to their specific website, with instructions on how and when to apply. In this economy, you need every edge you can get when looking for employment, and Twitter can be that edge.
In your searches, you may not find the exact information for which you are looking, but the Twitter stream may give you a good jumping off point to continue on your quest for information. This is particularly valuable as a writer or journalist, where breaking news often shows up on Twitter before it hits the mainstream media. You can also set up permanent columns in TweetDeck to do a constant search, and you can monitor the stream for events as they happen.
Whether you are researching a paper, looking for a job, or writing about current events, Twitter is an invaluable tool in your arsenal of research. If you are really stuck, ask your fellow Twitter buddies for help. If you’ve chosen the right mix of followers, you have people who represent every walk of life, and someone on your Twitter list may have just the nugget of information you need. Either way, there is a plethora of information out there for every subject, just a simple click away.
In this video Evan Williams (co-founder of Twitter) goes on to speak of how the Summize search engine came about – without the pre-fromatted intent by Twitter’s inception. This is by far one of the most powerful features that has evolved from the Twitter Platform. So powerful, in fact, that Twitter bought Summize and now integrates this search functionality into the Twitter architecture.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by .::Michael Duvall::., Silja Siller. Silja Siller said: RT @michael_duvall: The Power of Searching On Twitter http://bit.ly/8NmkQh [...]
This makes a lot of sense considering google and bings obession with intergrating the twitter search into the SERPs.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by michael_duvall: The Power of Searching On Twitter http://bit.ly/8NmkQh…
I do think twitter is a killer app. A perfect complement to blogging. I tweet all the time and I’m pretty sure I’m addicted
Hello. Appreciate your site. I read it regularly to read the latest articles.
[...] you have high blood pressure, taking steps to lower it will have a dramatic impact on your risk ofThe Power of Searching On TwitterThe Power of Searching On Twitter … post was mentioned on Twitter by .::Michael Duvall::., Silja [...]
Exactly, what i was searching for. Thank you.