01 Jan 09 Twitter: Recent frequently cited URLs

My Twitter scraper allows me to see which web pages are being cited by the most people (out of the relatively small, but closely related, sample of Twitterers that it has explored). I can see how many variants of “shrunken” URLs are pointing to the same page, which gives a rough idea of how many people are independently finding and citing a page.

Below is a list of people who recently cited How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business in a tweet.  This was one of the most widely cited URLs with a relatively high number of URL variations that my scraper found over the last few days.

This page was cited by 98 people* with 11 URL variations.  They appear below, in chronological order with some typographic hints.  Each unique shrunken URL is color-coded, which indicates that those people are near one another in the Twitter social network.  That’s especially cool because it did not require scraping through all of their followers to figure out, which would have consumed far more resources.  The publication time is underlined for the first person who used each unique URL.  Those people are likely to be opinion leaders, particularly if they created the shrunken URL (which a Google on the URL would be likely to reveal).  The people who tweeted the URLs earlier are more likely to be opinion leaders, since there are more others who may have been influenced by them.

In addition to identifying hot topics and cliques within the social network, this is also a means of finding people who might be worth following, given that the first people to cite a URL that becomes popular are either influential or are good at spotting trends early (a distinction that can be impossible to resolve).

• prblogs (http://tinyurl.com/7lmjsv – 2008-12-31 18:21:33)
• copyblogger (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 18:28:49)
• DrimoN (http://tinyurl.com/7lmjsv – 2008-12-31 18:35:14)
• BSwafford (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 18:46:19)
• mollermarketing (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 18:51:04)
• ronhekier (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 - 2008-12-31 18:52:17)
• SimonFord (http://tinyurl.com/7lmjsv – 2008-12-31 18:56:42)
• ZnaTrainer (http://ping.fm/w6Fk7 – 2008-12-31 19:06:35)
• jimsharp (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 19:09:53)
• thomaspower (http://ff.im/-s1Dm – 2008-12-31 19:21:02)
• marykw (http://ping.fm/w6Fk7 – 2008-12-31 19:24:58)
• ducttape (http://fleck.com/BBA3L - 2008-12-31 19:43:01)
• SuzanneBHarris (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:47:14)
• eseiberling (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:47:27)
• TheVCF (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:47:55)
• redkitedesign (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:50:15)
• PageSage (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:50:51)
• jeaniemarshall (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:51:31)
• ParrotGuy (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:52:21)
• axsystechgroup (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:54:32)
• silentbutsmart (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 19:54:40)
• lilyhill (http://tinyurl.com/7lmjsv – 2008-12-31 20:10:34)
• dhelbig (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 20:22:10)
• TheTeliosGroup (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 20:23:14)
• TommOH (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:27:58)
• TweetThinking (http://tinyurl.com/Twitter4Biz - 2008-12-31 20:29:08)
• appirio_kirk (http://fleck.com/BBA3L - 2008-12-31 20:33:20)
• stevebuttry (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2008-12-31 20:35:03)
• lizstrauss (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:35:38)
• heathermilligan (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:36:11)
• soultravelers3 (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:36:46)
• jerryroberts (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:38:20)
• roylan (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 20:38:25)
• brentrinehart (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 20:38:38)
• LynnMcFarlane (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 20:39:34)
• bmckay (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 20:40:25)
• AnnFeinstein (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:42:08)
• timage (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:43:56)
• witchlinks (http://tinyurl.com/7lmjsv – 2008-12-31 20:45:30)
• franswaa (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:46:53)
• EGoddess (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:47:48)
• franswaa (http://ff.im/-s4fF – 2008-12-31 20:48:28)
• michellerafter (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 20:50:15)
• lisahickey (http://ping.fm/w6Fk7 – 2008-12-31 20:52:56)
• ChadALevitt (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 20:54:16)
• techandlife (http://tinyurl.com/Twitter4Biz – 2008-12-31 20:56:15)
• damphoux (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 20:57:04)
• trishlambert (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 21:01:17)
• cocoagal (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2008-12-31 21:02:30)
• NewEvolution (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:03:29)
• shinils (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:05:04)
• brettbittner (http://fleck.com/BBA3L – 2008-12-31 21:10:48)
• twittea (http://twurl.nl/wmjiuv – 2008-12-31 21:11:26)
• twittea (http://twurl.nl/c1y6ur – 2008-12-31 21:11:27)
• nicknanton (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:20:53)
• ZaTaylor (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 21:23:30)
• poneal (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:35:34)
• TracyOConnor (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 21:35:59)
• Net2 (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:50:21)
• brianjcarroll (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:50:40)
• blogsir (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:52:11)
• JesseNewhart (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2008-12-31 21:54:42)
• integrateit (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2008-12-31 21:57:41)
• angelcaido666x (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2008-12-31 22:00:08)
• Rick__S (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2008-12-31 22:19:16)
• mgco (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 23:48:40)
• dickmansfield (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2008-12-31 23:52:16)
• indyfromoz (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 00:36:15)
• CindyKing (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2009-01-01 00:48:32)
• namtrok (http://tinyurl.com/Twitter4Biz – 2009-01-01 01:52:43)
• MicheleTune (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 03:51:29)
• Aaron111 (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 05:47:46)
• judithstephens (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2009-01-01 05:56:58)
• pincock (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 07:59:58)
• Mike_Stelzner (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 08:03:05)
• Phil_Adams (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 - 2009-01-01 09:38:16)
• problogger (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:03:06)
• jamesramya (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:04:36)
• RicRaftis (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:08:23)
• CeciliaEdwards (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:19:30)
• CindyKing (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:20:08)
• RicRaftis (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2009-01-01 11:23:44)
• gideonshalwick (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:48:58)
• TwitLinksRSS (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 11:49:29)
• ChristinePilch (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 13:14:39)
• neuralmarket (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 13:29:49)
• laretal (http://ping.fm/w6Fk7 – 2009-01-01 13:31:39)
• jbeardsley (http://bit.ly/UDXw – 2009-01-01 13:54:13)
• imawriter (http://ping.fm/w6Fk7 – 2009-01-01 14:36:15)
• divitodesign (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 15:07:50)
• stelzner (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 16:06:36)
• natthedem (http://is.gd/eiOS – 2009-01-01 16:28:04)
• amrithallan (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 16:36:53)
• alanlhammond (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 16:40:34)
• _McLaughlin (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 16:52:09)
• beulahgg (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 17:12:38)
• rebeccacoleman (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 17:26:01)
• Rwilliard (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 17:29:30)
• BIMarcom (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 20:01:17)
• Terri_Rylander (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 20:01:27)
• debbiestier (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 20:32:03)
• SternalPR (http://tinyurl.com/8c5lc6 – 2009-01-01 20:33:12)

* I’m getting the first 100 search results for each URL, which means that for each “shrunken” url with 100 or fewer results, they are comprehensive.  However, there’s no way to know, short of looking at the entire Twitter timeline and resolving all the URLs, if there are more people citing the same page.  I’m planning to use the words associated with the URLs to do further searches to discover more people who cited popular pages.