Twitter monitoring tools

During a couple of recent courses delegates have been keen to know more about real-time twitter monitoring tools. So here are a few options:

Tweetdeck is a free download that lets you monitor posts in real-time as well as send tweets directly. Perhaps its best feature is the ability to create columns so that you can track different terms using your own dashboard.

Twitscoop is a very simple tool that allows you to monitor specific trends and buzz around a topic. You can monitor the use of specific terms over the last few hours or days. It doesn’t let you compare keywords however.

Twhirl is another desktop application that you can download for free and then use it to monitor Twitter for specific keywords. You can also integrate this with your Twitter and other social networking accounts.

Tweetscan is a Twitter search tool that automatically refreshes the search every few seconds. This also lets you limit the search to specific users.

Twazzup is similar to Twitscoop but it also highlights related hashtagged terms, the most popular links, featured tweets, and singles out specific Twitter members as ‘trendmakers.’

Monitter also allows you to monitor specific terms as they appear in tweets but this tool allows you to monitor three in their own dedicated columns. Monitter also, very slickly, lets you monitor keywords within a specific distance of a specified location.

Update: See my posts on Tweetgrid and Tweetbeep for more on this.

Tags: search tool, social networking accounts, twazzup, tweetdeck, tweetscan, tweetscoop, twhirl, Twitter

Search single function websites

At first glance, I wasn’t sure about the value of a tool that helps you search for single function sites. In just five mintues, however, I came across a range of search tools I didn’t know existed.

SingleFunction is a showcase of single function website using crystal clear presentation, short but helpful summaries and user ratings. On my first visit I discovered itpints – a real-time search engine that lets you know about what’s being published right now. You can also convert your search to an RSS feed. tweefind is yet another Twitter search engine, but this one sorts twitter posts by relevance by prioritising those that appear to be the most important. Owaks is a new video search engine. SocialMention searches user-generated content so you can track what people are saying about a particular brand, company or topic.

More on some of the other sites listed by SingleFunction soon.

Tags: real-time search engine, Search Engine, SingleFunction, Twitter, video search engine