To overlook Twitter Lists is not possible right now. I tend to focus on Google Wave this week but obviously the immunity didn’t work. I have more expectations on Twitter Lists especially after the Seesmic Desktop integration.

Considering how Twitter has evolved, it won’t be long for web developers to come up with numerous applications for Twitter Lists. I can’t help but snoop around and got hold of these 6 Twitter Lists applications to expand your network.

For Network Expansion:

Twitter Lists Search Engines

Ever since Killer Search Apps for a successful Twitter Network, I haven’t been this hyped up about any Twitter-related search tools. I know, a little early for that but fact is, some are just right at our fingertips. You just need to know where to look and how to use it.

A. Listorious

It’s a directory of Twitter Lists where you can search for desired lists based on:

- Most Popular Lists

- A-List or trustworthy lists

- Newest lists

- Top Tags

Use the search box and type the possible list, person or tag. The results displayed are limiting to those who added their list to Listorious. So in order to have the best results, Listorious is encouraging everyone to submit their lists. Just how are we able to do that?

How to Add Your Twitter Lists to Listorious?

1. Go to Add List and grant access to Listorious by signing in to your Twitter account.

2. Enter the URL of your selected list, add descriptions and tags for the accuracy of search results.

3. You will be prompt to publicize your list to your Twitter network upon complete, or not.

4. You’re done! Check your Listorious account and be wowed with the neat Twitter profile, lists curated and lists you’re on.

B. Google Search

Ok, this isn’t actually an ‘exclusive’ Twitter Lists search tool but with a minor tweaking, Google Search can work like a charm ! The idea is to narrow down the search to twitter.com with keywords contained in Twitter Lists. Here’s how:

a. site:twitter.com/*/your keyword

For example, if I’m searching for lists containing the name ‘social media’ in twitter.com, I should type ‘site:twitter.com/*/social media‘ in the search box. The results will show as below:

Too complicated ? Here’s an easier solution:

C. Google Custom Search

Google Custom Search allows you to have the control over how and what to search for — it narrows down your search to limited websites predetermined during the customization. Of course, you need to endure some configuring steps but no pain no gain, right? In this case, I customized a search engine to narrow down my search to Twitter Lists in twitter.com. Instead of the lengthy search terms, now you can type in the keywords straight and get the desired results. Try the Twitter Lists Search Engine below and compare the results with Google Search, are they identical?

For Publicity: Twitter Lists Widget

Allowing you to display selected Twitter Lists with real time streaming. It’s a perfect widget for company to show off their staffs and encourage visitors to follow them on Twitter for updates. This can be a really cool widget if you have a collaborative team on a project – it makes the follow up easier and almost instant. (another alternative is using Tweetgrid with similar effects):

For Alerts: Listiti

When Google Alerts meets Twitter Lists — it’s all about being ahead of the game. Set up or follow the list curated for authority figures in your niche; or even your blogger buddies. Prepare to receive email notification whenever a tweet from chosen list matches your prefixed keywords. Since this service is new, the alert can only be sent hourly.

For Those Lazy for Lists-Making: Conversationlist

Easily put, Conversationlist is a list consisting of all the people you talked to or mentioned on Twitter. The list is building by itself, daily. Once you stop connecting with someone, he/she will be dropped off the list. If I were you, I’ll start compiling them in own lists as Conversationlist does make the process easier — start with someone you frequently talk to. Here’s 9 Reasons Why You Should Be In Love with Twitter Lists , try to make use of the lists accordingly.

** Updated**

Share Groups of Twitter Users: TweepML

Similar to Listorious, TweepML allows you to create and find lists of users to follow on site. However, there is an extra feature: TweepML provides HTML embedding options for buttons, links and icons. Showcasing your choice of Twitter lists has never been easier! (thanks to Growmap for introducing this app)


To get the list ready simple Register & Create List; then you’ll need to fill up the details as followed, hit ‘Generate TweepML’ and voila!

It’s Up To You Now…

What are your expectations in Twitter Lists and the third party applications that are bound to spring up like mushrooms?

Don’t forget to spread a little love by sharing:

Obviously, there’s no such thing as the PERFECT Search App ! Sorry to disappoint you but that’s the truth. Each application is built up to meet certain demands from users. By understanding their features respectively, you’ll stand a better chance of MAXIMIZING their uses in finding the results you need, in conjunction of enhancing your Twitter network.

Up Close & Personal, With The Apps…
Let me pre-warn you, there is no ‘definite’ answer of which is the best app to be used. I’m only providing you A REFERENCE~ my personal experience after utilizing them for couple of weeks, the score given is more to own-preference, not to discourage you to try them though. The search results displayed would differ from one to another, depending on their capabilities of capturing real-time tweets.

Here’s another table that categorized the applications according to their abilities, and Yes, of course it’s clickable! Go ahead !

~Click here for enlarged image. Icons only worked within this blog post~

Cautions: You should always be careful whenever a site is requesting you to login via Twitter username/password. Frankly, I haven’t really log in to any of these twitter searching sites to change my Twitter settings except the main site itself. Whether or not to take the risk, it’s up to the users; but I would avoid to do so unless it’s really necessary.

Meet The Killer Apps! Introducing…

People & Keyword Search
1. Twitter Official Search

Score: ????

Specialty:
-Ease to use with (almost the best) real-time results. Refresh option available.

Lacking:
Simplicity? (Truth is, I can’t think of any)

2. Flaptor Twitter Search

Score: ??

Specialty:
-Nice sky-blue background (for those who’s fed up with plain white backgrounds).
-Equipped with web plugin to be installed to browsers.

Lacking:
Results definitely NOT as updated as Twitter Search. No Refresh (for result) option provided.

3.

Score: ???

Specialty:
-Track conversations from a particular user based on keyword search in both Twitter @ Identi.ca.
-Auto @ manual refresh option available.
-Extra service: Provide Archive download & Email Alert (Login required)
-Web plugin for browser.

Lacking:
Require ‘search further’ to trace back old results, sometimes untraceable. Popular topics show better real time results but inconsistent for not-so-popular keywords.

Search People On Twitter

4. (Yellow Pages of Twitter)

Score: ????

Specialty:
-Categories search that uses keywords from user’s BIO.
-Search results including name, bio, website and location.
-By creating a login for Twellow, you get to edit your details such as excluding some of your categories listed; or add up to 10 personally verified categories.
-Search results sorted based on the amount of Followers. (top search = users with the most followers)
-Twellow Hood: Map available to locate twitter users around your region, limited to US & Canada currently.

Lacking:
The ranking (amount of followers displayed) is not up to date, so is the given ‘tweet’.

(Tips: To see the latest tweet of a particular user, click ‘View Latest’ to be updated from Twitter Search.)

5.

Score: ???

Specialty:
-Dedicated to people-search only (works for keyword/username/location search).
-Result displaying user’s Bio, Location, website URL.
-Followers-Tracking ability: by typing @username to have a complete list of your followers with personal details.

Lacking:
Not showing any tweet content.

Location Search
6.

Score: ??

Specialty:
-Shows up to 100 results for your input of location (for example: New York, US; Melbourne, AUS) & keyword.
-Refresh option available.

Lacking:
Region name needed for a better search result (narrow down the search) instead of a country name; sometimes return with ‘0’ results. Hashtags doesn’t affect much in keyword search.

Real Time Conversation
7.

Score: ????

Specialty:
-Real-Time Conversation based on Trends.
-Customization is available for trend, text & chat-board layouts, and the frequency of tweet updates according to your likings.
-You can pause the tweet, add a search/ local custom results by ‘Geolocation’ to display new results.
-RT control (whether or not to show up)
-Quick reply to the displayed members after login.

Lacking:
For low-bandwidth connection, it might drag down the speed for its multi-customized functions; also affecting the real time results.

8.

Score: ???

Specialty:
-To Explore Twitter Conversations & Sentiment.
(Sort of an analysis about how your keyword/search is performing in the tweets. Frankly, I’m not really aware of how the ‘sentiment’ is applicable in the context, but it has something to do with word-comparisons against a dictionary of words that are associated with positive/negative sentiment. From that, the word from your search receives a score that, when combining with other scored words, it makes a guess at the overall tone of a tweet. Pretty innovative, huh? But I do enjoy the real-time tweet, simpler to view than Twitterfall.)

Lacking:
I’m not sure whether I’m appreciating the score that much for now.

Trend-Tracker
9.

Score: ??

Specialty:
-Trend Cloud available & constantly updating
-Trend-tracking results on your keyword search using graph / time range.
-Refresh option available.

Lacking:
Inconsistency of displaying real time results.

10. (Popular Links on Twitter)

Score: ????

Specialty:
-Display the most Retweeted topic / links every 5 minutes; with convenient RT button.
-Multi-results in 4 Categories blog, image, audio and video; In different time range including Most recent, Top in 24 hrs & Incoming (newly retweeted)
-Widgets available for users to display ‘top tweets’ in their websites.

Lacking:
No search box provided.

11. Twopular

Score: ???

Specialty:
-Provide the list of most trendy keywords in different time range (1 hrs-8hrs-day-week-month-ever since.)
-Trend search on : twitter search; google news; yahoo news
-Connect to Twitter Official Search for users+tweets
-Search and compare Trends in graph
-Show the most RT twitterer.

Lacking:
Trend comparisons (>2) returned with error page; Unclear for some features yet no proper Q&A or Help page given.

Authority/High rank people search
12. Twidentify

Score: ???

Specialty:
- 3 search types: Influence Search (main) displays results sort by people who get RT the most;Conversation search, Trend search.

Lacking:
Inconsistency of displaying real time results. I did a check with some of the results with retweetrank, slight dissimilarities are found in part of the results, especially in the ranking wise. I’m not sure which provides the most recent updates but to me, they serve as a reference for users, just incase they’re interested to follow people with better RT ranking, which I’m not too crazy about.

13.

Score: ??

Specialty:
-Provide rank-tracking for keyword/user search results (sorting for Top 10,000 by rank/time).
-Multiple search results available for ‘Dynamix’ Search (web/blog/image/video).

Lacking:
No ranking available for newbies/little people, not even the original poster him/herself if he/she doesn’t make it to the Twitter authority, just those ranked individuals who RT the post.

Multi-search Results
14.

Score: ????

Specialty:
-Enable search results in Blogs/Web/Twitter/MySpace/News/Images individually.
-Choosing Big Buzz you’ll have all the recent results displayed for you in these categories: Blogs, Twitter, FreindFeed, Video, Images.
-Displaying search results up to 40 per pages (Advanced > Preference)
-Auto refresh available ff, 1 min, 3 min, or 5 min (only in Big Buzz)
-Web plugin available.

Lacking:
Refresh settings (real-time results) only available for Big Buzz (overall search results), not individual search.

15.

Score: ??
(basically the same thing with different names, no idea why)

Specialty:
-Search results covers Image/GoogleMap (location)/Text/ Video results

Lacking:
Google Map might slow down the speed for those using slow bandwidth. And the random Twitter users displayed on the map (based on your keyword search) keep repeating, not updated unless you refresh the page manually. Unless you’re fascinated with G
oogle map & where (part of) the users are scattered, otherwise I would suggest you to use Twitter Search for better results.

And my AWARDs Go To…
** The BEST basic search + real-time results:

Twitter Search

** The BEST user-search based on location/bio only:
TweepSearch

** The MOST Organized/Categorized Search :
Twellow

** The BEST Multi-Search:
Icerocket

** The BEST Real-Time Chatroom + Customized results:
Twitterfall

** The BEST Most-Tweeted Topics:
Tweetmeme

For the coming posts, I will be sharing with you some more Twitter-related tools that worth a mention, perhaps some comparisons as well. Do stick around if you plan to go ‘deeper’ in these fascinating social media tools. Also, do share if you have other great findings that I’ve missed out along the way.

Hope you’ll find this post resourceful ! Remember, they are only ‘Killer Apps’ if you start using them. I know I have. ^^

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Reminder:
The Clickable Chart only works within its own post:
http://www.wchingya.com/2009/03/killer-apps-for-successful-network-in.html

~Click Here for Enlarged Image. Clicking ability only works within its own post~

That seems easy enough!
But, why can’t I just Add People Randomly?

If you happen to like this post, why not subscribe here so you won’t miss the next one? Or add me @wchingya in Twitter? What’s the best way to save your time by letting a friend do the info-digging for you? ^^ See you in Twitter!

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Copyright © 2009 by Wong Ching Ya, All Rights Reserved, “Killer Apps for A Successful Twitter Network (Pt.1)“