Find Tweeters in Your Area with TwitterLocal

TwitterLocal is a great tool for anyone that has ever wondered if anyone close to them, geographically that is, uses Twitter just like they do. This site allows you to input a location, whether it’s a city or a state, and check the surrounding area (up to 20 miles) to see who else is Twittering close by.

I am located in Fayetteville, Arkansas which is a small town, and I want to find all of the people that are Twittering around me. In order to do this, I typed in my town and selected the option to cover the largest geographical area. If you were in a large city, you may only need to search the surrounding blocks. Having the option to select the distances caters to people in different locations.

Once I put in my location, I am given the option of viewing the latest tweets, subscribing to the local tweets via RSS, or viewing the XML feed. By viewing the latest tweets, you are able to easily find people that frequently update and would be interesting to follow. The RSS option will allow you to keeps tabs on your local friends and updates through your RSS reader.

I want to look at the latest Tweets, because I want to know what is going on around me. I also wanted to find a few local people to follow on Twitter to inform me about local events. In my opinion, it is always great to network with at least a few local people even if it is just to round out your network.

In addition to the website, there is a TwitterLocal Adobe AIR application. This application would provide you with the same information as the webpage above, but it allows you to access that information from the comfort of your desktop.

The AIR application is very limited in its options when compared to something like Twhirl or Slandr but it does get the job done as far as allowing you to keep up with local tweets and to post your own tweets.

P.S. If you are on Twitter make sure to add yourself to MakeUseOf Followers list.

(By) Kyle Judkins is a 24 year old marketer and part-time tech blogger. He is the author of LostInTechnology where he talks about some basic technology tips and tricks that everyone can use.