How to Search Twitter

You can easily find tweets about a certain topic or person on Twitter using the search function. To learn how to search Twitter, follow the instructions provided in this guide.

(screenshot by Susan MacDowell)

• If you have heard a rumor or buzz about a certain topic, from the latest celebrity break-up rumor to a hurricane in the southern United States, and can't find any news on it, chances are that someone may have tweeted about it. Therefore, you may be able to find the information you are looking for by using Twitter's search function, which you can use regardless of whether or not you have a Twitter account.

• To search Twitter, you don't have to have a Twitter profile or account:

1. Simply go to the Twitter search page at http://search.twitter.com/
2. If you want to search by keyword, simply type the word into the search box and press enter or click on the search button
3. To further customize your search, click on the "Advanced Search" link to the bottom right of the search box. Select from the list to customize your search by geographical location, Twitter user, date, or add additional keywords and phrases to your search
4. If you are a Twitter user, you can bypass going to the Twitter search page by logging into your Twitter account and then entering your search term in the search box located in the right sidebar of your profile page. However, searching this way does not allow you access to advanced search options

• Twitter hashtags are keywords preceded by a hash mark (#) that Twitterers affix to their Twitter post to help categorize it. For example, a Twitter user may place #Los Angeles in a tweet about Los Angeles.
• You can search tweets that have been tagged with a specific hashtag by:

1. Entering the hashtag in the search box on your Twitter profile
2. Entering the hashtag in the search box at http://search.twitter.com/
3. Using the advanced hashtag search option at http://search.twitter.com/
4. Searching or browsing hashtags at www.hashtags.org

• Whichever option you choose to use when searching by hashtag, be sure to use the # sign before your keyword.

• Twitter search can be an invaluable tool to find information on breaking news events before they hit the major news networks. Twitter's search tool allows you to search by keyword or hashtag, or you can use the advanced search option to customize your search by user, geographical location and language.

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