Twingly Microblog Search

Twingly launched Microblog Search in early 2009 as a federated real-time search service across multiple microblogging platforms. The project represented an ambitious attempt to aggregate and search across the fragmented microblog landscape before Twitter's dominance rendered the federated approach obsolete.

Origins

Launched January 2009. The Rise (And Fall?) Of Real-Time Search ↗ describes Twingly Microblog Search as "what it believes is the first federated microblog search service."

Platform Coverage

Twingly indexed multiple microblogging services: Twitter, Jaiku, Identica, and Bleeper. What Is Real Time Search? Definitions & Players ↗ notes Twingly captured posts from these platforms. The service also indexed Pownce—which had already shut down—but maintained six months of archives. The Rise (And Fall?) Of Real-Time Search ↗

Market Reality

Despite the federated design, search results were inevitably dominated by Twitter. The analysis was clear: "Real-time search across multiple platforms sounds promising, but because Twitter is the 800-lb. gorilla in this space, a Twingly search will tend to look a lot like Twitter Search." The Rise (And Fall?) Of Real-Time Search ↗