Every man and his WiFi-enabled dog is on Twitter these days. There are some great stories to be had, but often a depressing amount of searching is needed to root them out. But for those of a political bent, help is at hand. Behold Tweetminster!
Tweetminster collects all the Twitter feeds of MP’s and prospective MP’s into one place, along with the official Downing Street feeds. Updates are in real time, and there is a handy ‘Tweetometer’ that shows which topics are currently popular among Tweeters. There is also a downloadable desktop application called The Wire, which allows for tracking Tweeters without the bother of opening a web browser.
There is undoubtedly journalistic gold to be found using Tweetminster. A search function allows users to find and follow their local MP, and the official Downing Street and Defence feeds post links to fresh stories. However, there is still a great deal of irrelevant chatter to trawl through, which would make searching for stories here an arduous process. There’s also the problem that most politicians are aware of the popularity of Twitter, which could lead to their posts being as reserved as if they were delivered live on television.
Probably the biggest flaw is that there are far too many Labour representatives on there. 59% of all Tweeters wear the red rose, so if you’re after anything about the Tories, who have a measly 16% presence on there, you’re going to struggle.
Overall, Tweetminster is a useful and interesting site - if you’re prepared to sift through a lot of chaff to get to your bit of wheat. Alas, I can’t help thinking that its increasing popularity will lead it eventually to become little more than a mass of one line press releases.
Is it free? Yes
Where can I get it? http://tweetminster.co.uk
Ease of use: 4/5
Usefulness to Journalists: 3.5/5
Reviewed by: Adam Kaczmarek
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