Twitter is one of the most popular microblogging platform among educators. More and more teachers are drawing on its communicative and social networking powers to connect, share, and grow professionally. As such, Twitter embeds tons of educational resources buried deep into its Tweetosphere. In today's post, I am sharing with a host of practical search tips that will enable you to easily locate resources and grow your PLN. More specifically, you will learn how to search for Tweets that contain specific words, phrase, hashtags, or mentions; how to search Tweets sent from or sent in reply to a given user; how to access Tweets that embed links in them, how to search for Tweets shared during a particular period of time, and many more.
To access these advanced search tips, open Twitter search box and click on the 'More' button then customize your search query to your preferences.
A- Words
Use this to search for Tweets that include (exclude) specific words. There are three ways you can do it:
1- All of these words:
Search Tweets that contain all the words in the search query. Example: 'EdTech tools' returns Tweets that contain both 'EdTech' and 'tools'.
2-This exact phrase
This search hack is similar to the previous one but with the added feature that your search results will only return Tweets that contain the exact search phrase you used. Example: 'EdTech platforms' returns Tweets that contain the exact phrase' EdTech platforms'.
3- Any of these words
Example: EdTech Tools for teachers' returns Tweets that contain any of the words "EdTech', 'tools', and 'teachers'.
4- None of these words
With this search hack, you are excluding specific words from you search results. For example, 'Educational Technology' returns Tweets that do not contain the words 'educational' and 'technology'.
5- These hashtags
You search for Tweets that contain specific hashtags. For instance, '#edtech' returns Tweets containing the hashtag #edtech.
6- Language
This allows you to search for Tweets written in a specific language.
B- Accounts
You can also search for Tweets sent from or in reply to a specific user. There are three options to use in this regard:
1- From these accounts
Use this to search for Tweets sent from a specific user. For instance, '@educatorstech' returns Tweets from only '@educatorstech'.
2- To these accounts
With this feature you are searching for Tweets sent in reply to a particular user. For instance, '@educatorstech' returns Tweets sent in response to @educatorstech.
3- Mentioning these accounts
This search tip enables you to search for Tweets that mention a particular account. For example, '@educatorstech' returns Tweets that contain mention of '@educatorstech'.
C- Filters
Use this section to filter your Twitter search by replies and links:
1- Replies
When you turn on this functionality you will have two options:
1.1- Include replies and original Tweets
Check this option if you want your Twitter search to include both replies and original Tweets.
1.2- Only show replies
When you check this option your search results will only contain Tweet replies.
2- Links
When turned on, this functionality allows you to search for Tweets that:
2.1- Include Tweets with links
2.2- Only show Tweets with links
D- Engagement
This functionality enables you to search for Tweets by level of engagement. It offers three options:
1-Minimum replies
This allows you to specify the minimum number of replies a tweet should have to be featured in your search results. Example: '100' returns Tweets with at least 100 replies.
2- Minimum Likes
Example: '20' returns Tweets with at least 20 likes.
C- Minimum Retweets
Example: '60' returns Tweets with at least 60 Retweets.
E- Dates
Search for Tweets shared within a specific period of time.
