Twitter and Summize now together for eternity, well at least for now. Twitter’s search feature has never been too spiffy. But now, with the addition of what used to be Summize, Twitter has a robust search tool.

For details, see the Twitter blog article Finding A Perfect Match

Send messages to twitter using voice!

Not available here in Mexico …. DRATS!

This newest Twitter search tool is cool and pretty … and it delivers the goods. It is complete with RSS, twittable results, popular searches, twhirl-style picture/picture graphics, multiple pages of search results, and a cool converstion “drill down” capability to follow threads.

Related Resources:
Quotably.com – Follow the Conversation. Powered by Summize.
Tweetscan.com – Real-time twitter search with search clouds.

Ok, I just started EduCrowd, which must mean that I am the first edublogger to stumble upon CrowdStatus, a mashup site that lets you create your own crowds to follow their most current twitter tweets. Each crowd creator decides who is in the crowd, so it is sort of a personal thing. But you can share your crowds by tweeting the publicc URL. The public URL for EduCrowd is http://crowdstatus.com/EduCrowdcrowd.aspx … DM me on twitter if you would like to be included in the EduCrowd or the ESL EFL Teacher Crowd (@metaweb20).

Also check out http://grouptweet.com which lets you set up and communicate within user-established groups.

Ok, so what is the beauty of CrowdStatus then? I believe it is the ability to break the binds of our PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) and have a little more fun with twitter. For example, I can create a “crowd” on the topic of dog lovers, gourmet cooking, camping, or fishing, etc. I no longer have to stay inside of (isolated in) my primary twitterverse. I can now participate as an onlooker of sorts into many different communities that I self-create. Then, if I choose, I could reply to a specific person even if I am not following them. I can even invite them to enjoy the “crowd” by sharing the public URL; so that they can now participate in a new community that they are interested in but not previously connected with. Crowds are created by people you choose, they don’t have to be following you or you following them. So how do you find people that match your varied interests? You used the twitter search tool or tweetscan to build your crowds. With CrowdStatus, I can now be 100% of all my interests, not just the edublogosphere. I am a whole person again! My twitterverse(s) just multiplied!

Related twitterings:
TwitLinks – Tweets for Busy Peeps (links from the most popular tech twits)
GroupTweet – Send private Twitter messages to specific groups of friends!
5 Ways to Find More Friends on Twitter -Resources from our friends at RWW

Frank’s Faces of Web 2.0 was quoted on HitchHikr today about participation with Educon 2.0

Flickr Photos of Educon 2.0

My head is still spinning. I just participated in the stream from EduCon’s conference. Attendees were talking about twitter and how to take advantage of it for educational purposes. Lots of confusion even among Webheads on how to harness the power of twitter and get started. I enjoyed chatting live via Ustream with Tom Barrett, Langwitch’s Silvia, and J. Clark Evans. Thanks to all of you.

At the same time I was tweeting, answering emails, updating my blog and social network, and trying to take care of teacher’s concerns here at the university where I work. You must be a multi-tasker to survive in this technology-driven world .. that is for sure!

Here are the e EduCon Ustreams http://educon20.wikispaces.com/EduConTV

Check out Julie Lindsay’s coverage at her blog, E-Learning Journeys

E-Learning Journeys: The Changing Shape of Conferences: EduCon 2.0