Twitter supplements you never knew you needed... until now!

Last week my blog touched on the basics of using Twitter, so this week I'd like to take it a little further and delve into the seemingly infinite world of Twitter supplements.

One of Twitter's best features is it's plethora of supplemental third-party applications and web-sites. One site compiled a list of over 270 Twitter-related sites, but even that's just scratching the surface. I've sifted around and put together a list of my favorite applications to help you get the most out of your Twitter account, without having to look through the hundreds of duds. Most of them don't require sign-up, and if they do, it's quick and painless, so don't be afraid to give these sites a spin!

Twellow
This site allows you to search for people by occupation. Once you register your email, you can make your name searchable by occupation (or other interests) and search Tweeters from hundreds of careers at the click of a button. This site is perfect to help people new to Twitter build their follow-list, or for anyone who wants to find/follow people in their industry.

Twitter Search
This is your basic Twitter search; just type in a keyword and Twitter Search brings you the most recent tweets containing that phrase. This is a good tool if you want to browse tweets and articles about a certain issue, but don't necessarily want to follow the authors.

Hashtags
Hashtags are a way to organize tweets by topic. To register, all you need to do is "follow" @hashtags and they'll automatically follow you back, activating the service. To make a hashtag, simply write the topic you'd like to file the tweet under, preceded by #. (For example: Tips on taking care of your skin: http://bit.ly/M85rhn #beautytips). To view other posts in a particular hashtag, just go to www.hashtags.org and search the tag you're looking for.

Twitscoop
Twitscoop combines the features of several third-party Twitter-readers into one web-page. It has all the basic features of Twitter.com like status updates, @replies and direct messages, but unlike Twitter, it's feed updates automatically every minute (or other predetermined length of time). It also has a "Buzzing Right Now" sidebar that shows the current most tweeted topics. If you enjoy keeping a finger on the pulse of society, this site may be for you.

TwitterMotion
This is a cool program that turns your update feed into an artistic visualizer. To use it, just go to the website linked above and enter your Twitter username and password. Though it's really just for entertainment, it makes a pretty nifty screensaver for presentations or office use. Careful though, watching this too long can make your head spin.

TweetBeep
TweetBeep is like Google Alerts for Twitter; it gives you email notifications every time a select keyword is used on Twitter. Want to know what's being said about your company? Register on TweetBeep's website and you can keep a close watch on your Twitter reputation.

TwitterVision
TwitterVision allows you to read tweets in real time, and even shows where the tweets are coming from. Tweets are updated in a dialogue box pointing to where the tweet was sent from. Not much practical utility here, but still a very cool program.

New sites and supplements are being made every day, so search around and find which ones fit for you. Have a favorite Twitter app I didn't mention? Leave a comment and share the love! If you're interested in more applications, you may want to visit Twitdom or TwtBase. Have a great weekend, and happy tweeting!

This week's listening recommendation: "Bank Job" by Barenaked Ladies

-Brock Whitfield ><((">