While many people use the microblogging program Twitter for social interaction, it has several functionalities that can make it a wonderful research and learning tool. Below are fifteen Twitter tools that can enhance your use of Twitter in instruction and learning.
- TwilertUse keywords, names, hashtags to create Twitter alerts that will be sent to your email. Think of this as RSS or Google Alerts for Twitter.
- TweetChatUse Twitter to create chatrooms and send instant messages to other users. TweetChat can do all that for you by filtering tweets that belong in your conversation based on hashtags.
- GroupTweetWant to create a Twitter account for your entire class? GroupTweet can help with that by allowing an unlimited number of users to tweet from one account.
- TwitCamUpload your videos to Twitter easily with TwitCam. You can also chat directly with your audience on Twitter from your broadcast page.
- TweetReachIf you are curious about how far your tweets usually go and want to analyze this reach, TweetReach can help. This tool allows you to analyze your hashtags, brands, accounts, and events in real time.
- TwitalyzerWant another program that allows you to analyze the effectiveness of your tweets? Try Twitalyzer.
- NuzzelInstead of seeing what's trending on Twitter, Nuzzel allows you to see what's trending among your friends/followers. See what's popular in your network.
- BuzzSumoA great tool for business, BuzzSumo identifies the best content for your particular niche market.
- FiltaFind out which of your followers are interested in some of the same things you are. Filta sorts your followers into lists based on specific topics such as hobbies and location.
- TrendsmapWant to see what is trending in your state or hometown? Trendsmap can show you that by highlighting the trending topics based on geographic regions. (This is a freemium service that allows you limited access for free and more specialized access for a fee.)
- RitetagRitetag can help you narrow your broad hashtag to a more narrowed topic. From a business point, you can see statistics on different hashtags to see which tag will likely get the most views.
- HashtagifySee related hashtags with Hashtagify. You can figure out if a specific group of hashtags works for you and maybe find related hashtags you had not considered.
- WarbleTrack keywords, phrases, hashtags, mentions, and more on Twitter using Warble. You can set up alerts to ensure that you never miss the latest on your favorite topic or research.
Social Media in Business
Twitter List
Twitter lists can include many sources (blogs from mainstream media sources, independent organizations, and public intellectuals) and be a wonderful way to organize research by using a service you already know--Twitter.
Facebook for Research
Most people and businesses have a Facebook page, so when conducting research, look for a Facebook page for a particular research, organization, or publication. Simply "like" the page. Then, regular updates will appear in your news stream.
