Twitlinks tracks hot tech news using Twitter
If you're familiar with Techmeme, Tailrank, and other services that track content trends on the Web, you should bookmark a new service called Twitlinks. It uses a hand-picked selection of technology personalities on Twitter and compiles their tweets into a news feed. If there are news links or stories that come out of those tweets, they'll end up on the front page, in a reverse chronological view mere minutes after they're posted.
The list of tweet sources is made public, and currently comes in at just fewer than 100 bloggers, entrepreneurs, and personalities including my boss Rafe, as well as the Webware and CNET News.com RSS Twitterbots. There will be more added in the future, as decided by creator Gary Brewer, whose other works include WebsiteValued and Global Surfari--a mash-up that helps you find good surf spots.
Beside the core site there's also a mobile version of Twitlinks and a Google gadget. Power users can also add the RSS feed to be kept up-to-date with the latest items--although as a word to the wise, new items come in every five minutes, so you'd be wise to set up a filter or special folder in your RSS reader.
I expect to see other similar spinoff sites make their way if Twitlinks evolves into a network. The same technique could be used to emulate the experience for entertainment and celebrity gossip, as well as world and local news depending on the community of focused Twitterers out there. Essentially the site is just rebranding the experience of creating a Twitter account and befriending a group of people, but part of the reason for visiting is the curatorship--something you don't always get from other Twitter popularity services such as Twitterholic or Tweetmeme, which is far less focused.
Related: Crowdstatus lets you micromanage your Twitter buddies
[via ReadWriteWeb]
New Tweets show up in reverse chronological order and come mostly from popular tech blogs. Twitlinks also blends in tech personalities, to include other links and bits and pieces of Web content.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Josh Lowensohn is an associate editor for Webware.com, CNET's blog about cool and otherwise useful Web applications and services. If you've found a site you'd like profiled, shoot him an e-mail. E-mail Josh.
