Searching For Tweets:Effective Strategies & Tools

For Twitter June 2009

www.intelegia.comwww.twitter.com/citweetz

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Introduction

• What is Twitter?

• Why Search For “Tweets”

• Search Methodology

• Search Tools

• Things To Remember

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What Is Twitter?

Twitter is a micro blogging tool that allows users to send out messages of 140 characters or less.

The messages are known as “Tweets”. Tweets are composed of:

• Text

• URL (Web address)

Posted URLs are shorten to fit into the 140 characters limit.

http://www.google.com/alerts

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Why Search For “Tweets”?

Twitter is another source of information in real-time.

Tweets are usually a source of:

• Commentary / Opinions

• Hyperlinks

• Breaking news

Content that is available on Twitter and in Tweets are not indexed by major search engines.

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://blogsearch.google.com/

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Search Methodology

Searching for tweets is pretty straightforward however; each tool has different functionalities;

Some of the general rules to follow:

• Use quotation marks to find phrase(s) (i.e., “competitive intelligence”)

• Be aware of the timeframe of when the tweets were sent. (Use advanced search capabilities)

• Always consider the source of the tweet. (Read the bio on the Twitter page)

• Consider searching in other languages. (Use translation tools)

• Do not forget to use specific search operators (i.e., +, - , AND, OR, NOT)

• Be aware of the different search functionalities of the specific tool

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Search Tools: Twitter Search

Tips to remember:

• Use the advanced search utility

• Know the search operators

• Use “Trends topics” when needed

http://groups.google.com/

http://search.twitter.com/

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Search Tools: Twitscoop

Tips to remember:

• Handy when tracking “the buzz on the web”

• Use the “Auto Refresh” function

• Possible save searches with valid Twitscoop account

http://groups.google.com/

http://www.twitscoop.com/

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Search Tools: Twellow

Tips to remember:

• Browse first, search second

• Know what you are looking for before browsing

• Evaluate the source of the tweets

http://groups.google.com/

http://www.twellow.com

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Search Tools: twazzup

Tips to remember:

• Sort results by clicking on tabs

• Use “mouse over” to have more information on the source of the tweet

• Consider “Most Popular Links” for more information.

http://groups.google.com/

http://search.twitter.com/

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Search Tools: tweefind

Tips to remember:

• Search results are determined by things like number of followers, number of tweets, number of replies and the number of times distinct users retweet.

http://groups.google.com/

http://www.tweefind.com/

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Things To Remember

• Twitter is rapidly becoming a source for breaking news

• Knowing how to search for competitive intelligence data on Twitter will be essential to marketing, customer services and branding professionals

• Search tools will be rapidly evolving to respond to the needs of users.

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© Intelegia, 2009

About Intelegia

Intelegia, a subsidiary of E&B DATA, is a company that strives to assist individuals in understanding the changes in the business environment through internet intelligence. Via training, consulting and publications, Intelegia aims to provide the best approaches and tools to obtain the best information and utilize decision-making frameworks.

For training solutions to improve your Twitter researching and analysis skills, contact Isabelle Poirier at +1 (514) 276-1700 Ext. 104 .