By technical definition, Twitter.com is a web-based “microblogging” application. As you likely already are aware, typical blogging (e.g. Wordpress or Blogger) is designed to enable expression in the form of potentially lengthy posts on the subject of the author’s choice, and the subsequent publication thereof on the Internet.

But oddly, one potential use for Twitter has managed to escape mainstream discussion…until now. That, of course, is the core subject of this e-book: the implication of Twitter.com as a next generation social networking site.

Twitter apps and Resources

Now if you have very limited computer skills, you will find an invaluable resource at TwitBacks. There you can build a background graphic based on their template that you can upload right away. That alone will set you apart vis-à-vis most Twitter users out there. It’s free, no less

2. TwitBin

First, if you like the idea of keeping Twitter activity visible within your Firefox browser even as your surf elsewhere, try the TwitBin plugin for Firefox. This neatly keeps a running tally of “tweets” by those you follow in a separate frame on the left-hand side of your browser, along with a window for sending your own messages. With this app, there’s no longer any need to remain at Twitter.com in order to conduct Twitter business.

3. TwitKit

TwitKit is another Firefox add-on featuring what I’d consider to be more robust functionality and perhaps a more attractive interface.

4. Twitteroo or Twhirl

If you are using a laptop or other machine with limited screen space, try Twitteroo or Twhirl. Either will give you a good ability to track and send messages, while receiving automated notifications of certain events. Each of these unobtrusive apps requires only a small window to view, and can be minimized when desired.

5. Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck allows you to separate tweets, @replies, a search function and even tag clouds into separate columns within the interface. The ability to monitor @replies with such elegant simplicity and immediacy—even after having stepped away from the computer—-is clearly a powerful tool as you begin conversations with any number of women (or other friends for that matter) on Twitter.

6. Twittelator

Twittelator tends to get rave reviews for its relative simplicity, although Twitterific is notable because it supports both iPhones and Mac desktops, a nice feature.

7. Blackbird & Tiny Twitter

If you have a 3G phone other than an Apple iPhone, your choices are decidedly more limited. Nonetheless, examples include Blackbird for BlackBerry devices and Tiny Twitter for Windows smart phones. To research the availability of mobile Twitter apps for your particular phone, simply conduct a Google search for the name of your device along with “twitter”.

8. Tweetscan

The salient feature of this app is its ability to search “tweets” featuring your username, someone else’s username or any generic search term, really. As such, you can tell who is mentioning you and/or any other topic of interest—even when not used in the context of an @reply. Besides being privy to any chatter about you, this tool could give you what looks like clairvoyant power to capture a woman’s interest with a topic that interests her…seemingly (and perhaps magically) out of nowhere

9. Twitscoop

This could be thought of as the mirror image of Tweetscan. Rather than finding search terms like “needles in haystacks” as it were, Twitscoop gives you a snapshot of the overall hottest terms at any given point in time. This is pure gold if you are ever at a total loss with regard to how to begin an @reply conversation with a particular woman.

10. Tweetworks

With what could be the true “killer app” as pertaining to meeting MOTOS on Twitter, this website’s software can actually group users according to interest. This means—you guessed it—you can essentially build “chatroom” functionality into the Twitter works.

11. Twitpic

True to its name, this app allows you to share and receive pictures on Twitter. In many ways, this is the “holy grail” of Twitter “killer apps” since it covers what is as yet a glaring weakness in the Twitter user experience. The advantages to using this service when meeting MOTOS online are rather obvious, especially as you successfully begin conversations that could lead to offline meetings.

12. Twitterholic

Representing a pretty good gauge of social proof, at least to a certain degree, this app ranks all Twitter users (including you) on a worldwide scale based on the number of followers you have. Although interesting, and it’s elegance worth noting, there is another app that one-ups this one as a real-time measurement of true Twitter social proof.

13. SocialToo

SocialToo in particular, as it has the power to tell you who “unfollows” you, alerting you to those who were following you at an earlier date but have removed you from their “follow” list within the last 24 hours. This information can be wrapped up and sent in a convenient message directly to your inbox, if you so choose.

14. Qwitter

Qwitter is also an easy way to keep up with those who stop following you, if you prefer a standalone app for that purpose. If you find yourself collecting massive numbers of followers and needing to purge those who don’t follow you back all at once (a high-quality problem, for sure) then try using MyTweeple or Huitter. The latter is particularly fast and efficient, the only caveats being that it’s non-selective (i.e. it will automatically unfollow all your “non-mutuals”) and that there’s a small charge for the service after three uses.

15. TwellowHood

TwellowHood is actually a newly unveiled sub-app of the popular Twellow service, which originally began as a way to connect with fellow Twitter users who share common interests and/or who work in a common field. The advantages there are manifold also, of course.