A quick look at the Twitter 100 and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that Twitter is still very much growing in the Internet Marketing space but the Twitter buzz is just reaching 'the rest of the world'. Numerous articles after SXSW confirmed that. It's happening now.A boatload of mainstream reporters and others opened Twitter accounts just after the South by Southwest Austin Tech / Music Fest. Feed aggregators were delivering Twitter and a lot of media gurus woke up.
Twitter will be continue to gather a HUGE tech buzz in 2008 unless the crew at Pownce takes a direct (and now potentially expensive) shot right at them.
Of course, the unprecedented US Democratic primary race between Barack Obama (1) and Hillary Clinton (84). is well underway. The strategists aren't going to miss a trick. Numerous professional SEO and Internet Marketing companies are embedded in each camp, as they head right here for Pennsylvania, a critical swing state.
Obviously, they're all over Twitter, from numerous angles.
Lots of people in lots of spaces are still discovering and joining Twitter. Those using it to promote 'whatever' are are rapidly discovering tools like Twemes, TwitterSearch and Twitterholic. Many aren't 'reading the book' and are being very transparent, which makes it all the more cool.
Why is a web app that's relatively simple growing at a rocket pace?
Sure, it's partially the buzz that many of us are creating. It's also the API that allowed developers to create the applications above (and tons more). Tools anyone can use. (Some that had closed their Twitter accounts as a 'distraction', are now admitting to re-opening them).
Will people turn off when Twitter decides to monitize? Will they get acquired in 2009? Will Twitter ever make money?
A look back at ICQ, for me at least, tells a story. Twitter is different yet similar, and the biggest difference is that people LOVE to be a fly on the wall.
That is Twitter's secret sauce.
Can Twitter predict an election with Obama booting Robert Scoble to No. 2, and Hillary now in Twitter post position 84 as I write this?
I seriously doubt it, but something tells me the Twitter 100 will be changing a lot over the next few weeks.
Stay tuned.
Update 1: Jason Calacanis is now trying to BUY his way to the number one Twitter position ?! Free MacBook?
Update 2: A reader chimed in to advise there is a website tracking Political Tweets politweets.com.