Twitter is gearing up to launch a new feature where tweets will have a location associated with them. This opt-in only geolocation tool will allow users to activate their precise longitude and latitude. You will then be able to see what topics are being discussed locally and easily find professionals in your area. Now, instead of getting a worldwide search, when you are searching for, say an “accountant,” you will be able to see tweets from the accountants in your area, as well as their location of business. If this sounds like an interactive yellow pages, it could have that potential as well as an interesting way to keep up with the buzz of what is going on locally in real time.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone explains, “If people do opt-in to sharing location on a tweet-by-tweet basis, compelling context will be added to each burst of information. For example, with accurate, tweet-level location data you could switch from reading the tweets of accounts you follow to reading tweets from anyone in your neighborhood or city—whether you follow them or not. It’s easy to imagine how this might be interesting at an event like a concert or even something more dramatic like an earthquake. There will likely be many use cases we haven’t even thought of yet which is part of what makes this so exciting.”

Developers are currently testing the new features, which have many implications. While the tool could be a great way to meet people with similar interests or help businesses advertise more effectively, there are obvious privacy concerns. Having someone know exactly where you are and what you are doing is a red flag for opt-ing out of the feature. It all depends on how you use Twitter. For businesses, having a location tool seems like the ideal way to get customers to come to you. But for the average person who tweets from home or elsewhere, it could completely change the way we view personal privacy. Only time will tell.

By now, many of us understand the power Twitter has on business development and marketing. While Twitter is supposed to be a time-saving networking tool, many of us end up spending more time than we should searching keywords and links relevant to our business and industry. What users should be aware of in order to save valuable time and energy is the Twitter Search feature.

What is Twitter Search and how can it help you? Twitter Search (http://www.twitter.search.com/) allows you to view and review the information and people you want to connect with. You can view only the Tweets you want to view in real time.  there is no time consuming search, the latest Tweets relevant to your search appear when you type in your desired keyword. In one place, you can simply analyze what your target audience is talking about, the latest trends in your industry and opinions about your service and product.

Using Twitter as part of your overall marketing strategy is an excellent way to connect with people and companies who have seemed unreachable in the past.  Now the Twitter Search feature allows you to easily gain access to these connections without  having to scroll through the masses. The best part of the feature is its ability to save your searches. Instead of starting your keyword search from scratch each time you log on, Twitter saves your keywords and the information you are interested in. In a sense, it automatically favorites the information, companies and people you are interested in.

I have provided the link above, but Twitter Search is also available on your Twitter profile page. For a while there, this feature was only available to a select group of users. However, after much trial and error, Twitter has made it available to all. All users now can see a Twitter search box to the right of their homepage under your account information.  Once you type in a search, Twitter saves this information underneath the search box, creating a helpful list of  topics and information.

Have you used the Twitter Search feature on your profile homepage? I find this tool very useful and would be interested in learning your thoughts and opinions as well.