What are Conversation Searches?
I often present around my Information Radar tools and methods, particularly my use of an RSS Reader. During those presentations, I'll mention what are sometimes called "vanity searches." These searches look for any mention of your name, company, URLs across blogs and other sites.
For me, these searches primarily allow me to see what people are saying in response to something that I've put out there. Typically, these responses come via blogs and twitter.
By finding them, I'm able to engage in a type of slow, network conversation. So, I think of these searches as conversation searches, not vanity searches.
To me, doing these searches and engaging in these conversations is as important as responding to comments.
Tools for Conversation Searches
Because of Google Blog Search Having Problems and because of Twitter, I've changed how I do these searches over the past 3 months or so. When I look in my Conversation Searches folder in my RSS reader, I find that most of what I'm using are:
In IceRocket, I'm searching for my name, my site names, tags and particularly for link:XXX.com - for each of the sites that I'm involved in. Icerocket's search is working so much better than Google's blog search.
In Twitter Search, I look for my name, site names, and tags.
I've tried Twingly and SamePoint. Both are pretty good at social search, but right now I'm primarily using IceRocket and Twitter Search.
Short URLs
The one thing that is a big problem right now for me in all these conversation searches are dealing with Short URL services. The most accurate searching is when someone links to a site. With Short URLs, you don't find those links - or at least I don't know how to do this.
If anyone knows how to deal with Short URL links, please let me know.
