This document discusses various tools for searching and analyzing tweets, managing twitter followers, and finding new followers. It describes Twitter's built-in search and tools like TweetDeck. It also covers limitations of Twitter searches and the value of third party tools like TweetArchivist and Gnip for accessing more comprehensive historic tweet data. The document concludes with suggestions for how businesses can use Twitter for marketing, customer service, and product development.

1. Chapter 7: Connecting with Twitter: Part C
Web 2.0 and Social
Media for Business 2nd Edition
Roger McHaney, Kansas State University

2. Twitter Searches
Searches use a
variety of tools
provided by Twitter
and third-party
organizations
Example Results from
Twitter’s Search Page

3. Using Twitter’s Search
Page
http://twitter.com/search

4. Twitter’s TweetDeck
www.tweetdeck.com
Uses Firefox or Chrome
Create an Account
Track and Organize Tweets

5. TweetDeck Example

6. Twitter’s TweetDeck Video
Video

7. Other Tweet Searches
7 Twitter communication is public
so Tweets are available to
everyone
Twitter’s default search only
extends a couple of weeks
A wide variety of third-party
applications have emerged to
provide additional search
capabilities and interface with
business intelligence tools
Competition is fierce and new
applications appear regularly

8. Examples of Other Tweet Searches
8
Compiled by Jeong-Ah Lee, Kansas State University

9. More Tweet Searches
9

10. 10

11. 11

12. Managing Followers
Networks formed with Twitter can be extremely
complex with large numbers of people who
follow and stop following for a variety of reasons
(called „unfollow‟ in Twitter lingo).
The pool of followers can be a latent resource
bringing a wealth of knowledge and other
benefits.
A wise business Twitter user can find ways to
become better acquainted with his or her
follower base; to target new followers; and, to
follow key players in strategically relevant
areas.
Follow
Me!

13. Management Tools for Twitter Followers
A business should use a follower management tool. These tools enable a user to
classify her or his followers; watch trends that might include people that become
followers (or stop following); and, find new connections.
Tools that help with this include http://unfollowers.me and FindUnfollow (a mobile app)

14. FindUnfollow
Can help with discovering:
New followers
Recent unfollowers
Users not following back
Followers that the current account
holder does not follow back
Knowing this information can help
provide a mechanism for ensuring
that key followers do not slip
away unnoticed, and so new
followers can be contacted and
better integrated if desired.

15. More Followers
Users tend to seek easy
methods to build their
follower base. According to
TwitterCounter.com (in
September, 2013), celebrity
teen idol Justin Bieber has
the most followers, with Katy
Perry, Lady Gaga, and
Barack Obama not too far
behind.

16. Problem Tools
Tools appeared that promise to quickly add followers to
subscribers‟ accounts. Many took the form of mass follow bots
which attempted to automate the follower-acquisition process.
Less reputable services would create fake users and make these
followers of subscriber accounts.
Other tools appeared which would automatically follow back any
follower.
Users began placing a #followback, #teamautofollow, or
#teamfollowback hashtag in their message to indicate they would
follow anyone who followed them.
Had the effect of creating large numbers of followers with little or
no value----not potential customers or business partners.

17. Auto Follow
The auto follow had previously enabled “an immediate and
programmatic means of following another user back after they
follow you.”
Twitter removed it to stop large numbers of followers from being
automatically generated.
Twitter also removed the auto follow back functionality from its API
and stopped third party applications from providing that service.
With the programmatic features gone, the primary ways of
acquiring followers become: to follow other users (including your
followers); to publicize a Twitter handle, and to write clever, timely
tweets likely to be retweeted.

18. Good Ways to Find Followers
Leslie Walker suggests:
1) Start following. Find others with shared interests and hope that they return the favor and follow
back.
2) Create a complete and compelling Twitter profile. This will put others at ease and help them
identify reasons for wanting to follow.
3) Follow those that have followed your account. Many users appreciate the engagement and will
remain as a follower longer.
4) Tweet regularly. This will keep an audience engaged and provide more notice.
5) Ensure that tweet content is relevant, timely and contains recognizable hashtags. Again, good
content makes a world of difference in Twitter.

19. Follow Friday
Tradition on Twitter which can result in more
followers.
The idea is to send tweets on Fridays with the
hashtag #ff or #followfriday.
Tweets are meant to help followers identify new
people that they in turn may wish to follow.
Being mentioned in a #ff tweet is considered a
friendly gesture.

20. Example #FF
To create a #ff tweet, a list of Twitter handles is inserted into the
message followed by the hashtag. Sometimes a short message is also
inserted. The recipients of that tweet, trusting its source, may choose
to follow the list of names provided.
Example 1:
@mchaney @edutech @susanb #ff
Example 2:
Welcome newbies @mchaney @edutech @susanb #ff

21. Twitter Analytics
In situations where important, mission critical
information can be learned by mining tweets, a
business might want to use more sophisticated
search tools. Business analysis of Twitter is
truly in its early stages and the available tools
have not yet fully matured. However, advances
are being made.

22. Twitter Analytics Limitations
Searches limited by time and number of Tweets
accessible at any given time
Vast unorganized volume of Tweets have been
generated since 2006
In April 2010, Twitter donated public tweet
archive to U.S. Library of Congress
Every public Tweet will be preserved and
eventually made available to public
Historic donation removes social responsibility
from Twitter and enables rich, grass-roots level
history, generated as people lived through
events

23. Mission Critical Twitter Use
Mission critical
information may
be discovered by
mining Tweets.
Business needs
sophisticated
search tools.
http://www.tweetarchivist.com

24. What is Provided by TweetArchivist?
• Ability to understand more about
Tweets.
• Tweet Volume, Top Tweeters,
Number of ReTweets, Top Words, Top
URLs and the source of Tweets are all
summarized
• Discovering social chatter source
• Allows businesses to understand
more about clients, potential
markets, and competitors
• Information regarding business
opportunities, quality management
efforts, and general improvement is
provided

25. Some Businesses Can’t Wait
• Some organizations that need to analyze older (this may mean only
a few months!) Twitter content and cannot wait for the Library of
Congress
• Twitter’s full data feed, called its Firehose, provides all Tweets being
sent through Twitter
• Gnip currently provides access to Twitter’s data streams and dozens
of other social media feeds
• Gnip is an authorized reseller of Twitter data.
• Gnip extracts the subset relating to a particular firm, its products,
and other interests

26. Gnip

27. Business Suggestions
Businesses use Twitter for a variety of purposes: from marketing to
customer service to product development. Twitter can be powerful for
new companies and can result in the quick dissemination of
information.

28. From Jill Duffy:
https://twitter.com/jilleduffy
Follow Dr. McHaney at: @mchaney

29. End of
Chapter 7 Part C
Web 2.0 and Social
Media for Business 2nd Edition

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Slides Prepared by Professor Roger McHaney
Kansas State University
Twitter: @mchaney
Blog: http://mchaney.com
Email : mchaney@ksu.edu