If you run an online business, Google alert is the best (free) notification service around.  Using it, you can track topics in The other day I discovered a Google-alert type service for those of us who Tweet (you DO tweet, don’t you?) using Twitter.

The service is TweetBeep and here’s how it works. First, set up a free account by picking a username and password. Then, choose the keyword alerts you want to track, i.e. your name, company name, topic of interest. Unlike Google alerts, don’t use quote marks for exact phrase matches.  You can exact phrase match by ticking the box on your alert. Pick how often you want to receive alerts, and that’s it.

Oh yes – you can also set up your TweetBeep to only receive alerts from specific Twitter accounts – a convenience I like when I’m tracking conversations from a specific individual.

How would you explain Twitter to an 87-year-old who has never used a computer? (Comments welcome!)

I’ve been playing with Twitter for several months and my experience is a positive one. I landed a client via an online colleague’s "followers", and have recently picked up several followers who are interested in my writing, marketing and consulting services.

If you’ve never Twittered, get over there and open a free account.  Then have some fun with these Twitter tools: Twitter Widget: Adds a card to your Twitter photo, name and latest post. (here’s a sample) Ten Best Twitter Tools for WordPress: Includes scripts to Tweet from your sidebar or add your RSS feed to Twitter. Twitter Fan Wiki:

Dozens of cool applications for Twitter. Includes tools like Outlook add-ons, desktop Twitter clients, and Firefox add-ons.