Nicky 
I came across this very interesting post on using Twitter for research. I’m always being asked about the ways companies can use Twitter and one of the ways I suggest is by:
1. tracking and listening to what your public is saying and
2. listening to what the competition is saying
So here is an even more practical example for businesses, courtesy of Being Cheryl.
Listen to the competition’s conversations
Sounds easy enough. You go to http://search.twitter.com and enter the company’s Twitter name. You can follow them and listen to what they say. But don’t stop there. What are the replies to what they are saying? Being Cheryl gives an example of a company who had asked their network for input. The network replied ( search the Twitter @replies). BUT, had the company put the suggestions to good use?They had not. They had asked the question, but not followed through with the responses. Pull those network @replies – as Being Cheryl did for her client – and you can get some competitive advantage for your company. Because your company – or your client if you are working on their behalf – can come along and neatly do all that network had been asking for, but hadn’t got.
If they are a smart company they will also take on board the fact that it’s not enough to ask your network questions – when they respond you must follow through, especially if you happen to be on Twitter where people can see if you could actually be bothered or not and mine your responses – or lack thereof – for their own research.
Find your Publics – in some detail
What if you could see your user’s industries just based on their Tweets? Well, you might say, of course you can use http://search.twitter.com to monitor specific keywords. However there is also Twellow. With Twellow you can set up industry categories for a user – based on just their bio and tweets. Visit BeingCheryls’s site to read how.
Remaining relevant with Tweetstats
Tweetstats shows you the top trends on Twitter in a “trend cloud” I checked it out and today the top trends are Bernie Madoff, BET Awards, Michael Jackson, Iran, Iran election and Jay-Z. How can your company use Tweetstats? As a way to take part in the conversation. Pick a spot and take part where it is relevant. This is where you can jump in – participation is an integral part of the Twitter experience.
Do you use Twitter for research? Have you ever used Twitter @replies in this way? If you have please share your feedback. I know this will be something for me to experiment with.
Thanks to the power of blogs I’ve yet another insight to share with clients – one that makes Twitter a powerful strategic research tool for creative and competitive advantage.
Original article Source: Being Cheryl – How to use Twitter for research
