I agree that there’s a lot of potential for Twitter searching to grow. I’ve mined amazing resources—from grant competitions to new social media tools to free webinars—via those I follow, nevermind the wider community. However, although there are countless Twitter-based tools, I have yet to find one that allows me to search the tweets of those I follow. I only subscribe to about 50 Twitterers, many of whom are prolific, and receive hundreds of tweets a day. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to reference an article they linked to, whether in a blog post or otherwise, but not remembering who tweeted or when—only a couple of search terms.
So while I agree that the prospect of more powerful and comprehensive search tools for the Twitterverse is exciting, I also think that developers should be focusing “locally” as well.
It’s an interesting combination, the immediacy of Twitter and the depth of recorded knowledge on Google. I find they both serve a purpose, with Google preferred for information and Twitter taking the lead with conversation - and that’s the true power of Twitter, the ability to connect with someone and begin a conversation. I’ve discovered so many new contacts that used to remain hidden behind the pages of their website or buried inside a search engine. You can’t say hello on Google!
Twitter—and other social media—for the exchanges, Google for the archives. Merging—or negotating—these two spheres may not be as exciting, or valuable as developing the architecture to distinguish evidence from opinion. This would be especially true for non-profits addressing some of the most complex social justice, resource management and socioeconomic development issues persistent today. Competition for funding contnues to intensify. Results- or ROI-based decision making by donors will elevate the fact base, and potentially marginalize certain messaging. An arbiter awaits.
Denise - Great to see you at SXSW, if only for a minute!
You are definitely right that links can easily get “lost in the stream.” I use Nambu as my Twitter client on my desktop and it tracks all the links that people Tweet, and all those that I post, too. It makes it much easier to go back and find that one link. I also click on links in real time and save them to delicious to be read later.
That’s a great point; we cannot say hello on Google! How do you imagine it could work if Google did buy Twitter and had options for integrating both in search results; how would that ability say hello change?
Thanks for the terrific comments! I would love to hear your take on the way funders influence the conversation on Twitter and how the integration of Twitter into Google search could impact both grantmaking and grantseeking (for exposure, relavency, partnerships/collaboration, and so on).
Great thoughts on this! Another interesting point that we’ve been discussing at IssueLab is the problem of self-perpetuating “top” results in search engines. The more visitors/referrers a site has, the further it moves to the top of search results. But does this mean that it’s the most relevant to your search terms? Many times results that appear lower on the list are more interesting and share information that has not been brought to light because of this search hierarchy.
I think Twitter takes a lot of the hierarchy out of it, and gets you more information from sources you’ve already deemed relevant to your interests. Plus, you’re finding out about things that you weren’t necessarily seeking out. Many times I’m glad I found something that I was not looking for!
COMMENTS
BY Denise Cheng
ON April 8, 2009 11:50 AM
I agree that there’s a lot of potential for Twitter searching to grow. I’ve mined amazing resources—from grant competitions to new social media tools to free webinars—via those I follow, nevermind the wider community. However, although there are countless Twitter-based tools, I have yet to find one that allows me to search the tweets of those I follow. I only subscribe to about 50 Twitterers, many of whom are prolific, and receive hundreds of tweets a day. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to reference an article they linked to, whether in a blog post or otherwise, but not remembering who tweeted or when—only a couple of search terms.
So while I agree that the prospect of more powerful and comprehensive search tools for the Twitterverse is exciting, I also think that developers should be focusing “locally” as well.
BY Global Patriot
ON April 8, 2009 02:24 PM
It’s an interesting combination, the immediacy of Twitter and the depth of recorded knowledge on Google. I find they both serve a purpose, with Google preferred for information and Twitter taking the lead with conversation - and that’s the true power of Twitter, the ability to connect with someone and begin a conversation. I’ve discovered so many new contacts that used to remain hidden behind the pages of their website or buried inside a search engine. You can’t say hello on Google!
BY Chris Rezendes
ON April 8, 2009 07:56 PM
Twitter—and other social media—for the exchanges, Google for the archives. Merging—or negotating—these two spheres may not be as exciting, or valuable as developing the architecture to distinguish evidence from opinion. This would be especially true for non-profits addressing some of the most complex social justice, resource management and socioeconomic development issues persistent today. Competition for funding contnues to intensify. Results- or ROI-based decision making by donors will elevate the fact base, and potentially marginalize certain messaging. An arbiter awaits.
BY Amy Sample Ward
ON April 10, 2009 01:51 AM
Denise - Great to see you at SXSW, if only for a minute!
You are definitely right that links can easily get “lost in the stream.” I use Nambu as my Twitter client on my desktop and it tracks all the links that people Tweet, and all those that I post, too. It makes it much easier to go back and find that one link. I also click on links in real time and save them to delicious to be read later.
Thanks for adding to the conversation here!
BY Amy Sample Ward
ON April 10, 2009 01:53 AM
Global Patriot-
That’s a great point; we cannot say hello on Google! How do you imagine it could work if Google did buy Twitter and had options for integrating both in search results; how would that ability say hello change?
Thanks for your contribution!
BY Amy Sample Ward
ON April 10, 2009 01:56 AM
Chris-
Thanks for the terrific comments! I would love to hear your take on the way funders influence the conversation on Twitter and how the integration of Twitter into Google search could impact both grantmaking and grantseeking (for exposure, relavency, partnerships/collaboration, and so on).
Thanks again!
BY Luise
ON May 11, 2009 01:45 PM
Great thoughts on this! Another interesting point that we’ve been discussing at IssueLab is the problem of self-perpetuating “top” results in search engines. The more visitors/referrers a site has, the further it moves to the top of search results. But does this mean that it’s the most relevant to your search terms? Many times results that appear lower on the list are more interesting and share information that has not been brought to light because of this search hierarchy.
I think Twitter takes a lot of the hierarchy out of it, and gets you more information from sources you’ve already deemed relevant to your interests. Plus, you’re finding out about things that you weren’t necessarily seeking out. Many times I’m glad I found something that I was not looking for!