Applications
Twitter Fan Wiki
Overview: The apps section of Twitter Fan Wiki is like Wikipedia for Twitter apps, so it's for you, buy you mentality, making it the most robust in terms of applications listed, but potentially the most unreliable if entries aren't current. Applications are broken down into three categories: desktop apps, web apps, and mobile apps. And with subcategories under each heading, Twitter Fan Wiki makes it easy to drill down to just the apps you want to research.
What you might like: There are lots and lots of applications, so you're bound to happen upon something new and cool that you didn't even know existed.
What you won't get: There's a limited feature set, which means you can rate, sort, or comment on applications. Listings just include links and a short text description, so it's impossible to get a good overview of each apps feature set without clicking through to the actual websites.
Twitdom
Overview: Twitdom, which launched with 50+ apps and now houses more than 300, uses Wordpress as a platform to display information on Twitter applications and let users navigate category types via tabs to find desktop, mobile, or web apps, browser plugins, and mashups.
What you might like: Application profiles. Each application has a short profile that also lists related applications. Users can also comment on or rate the applications. And even though it's easy to miss, users can view the highest rated applications across the site by clicking the Popular link at the top of the site.
What you won't get: Birdseye view. There's plenty of applications to choose from, but it's hard to get a good overview of the entire collection. This makes it especially difficult to sort through the growing list if you're just browsing and don't know exactly what you want.
Twtbase
Overview: Similar to Twitdom, Twtbase also houses their database of applications within Wordpress and divvies them up into either the web, mobile, desktop, or browser plug-in buckets.
What you might like: The thumbnail view. Each application has a screenshot, displays current rating, and number of votes. Twtbase also has a Site of the Day page that features one app per day.
What you won't get: Selection. It's difficult to ascertain exactly how many apps Twtbase has, but this reviewer estimates they've got about 80 applications in their database.
Twitter Forge
Overview: An offshoot of the Twittown blog, Twitter Forge is probably the most basic of the bunch but highlights everything Twitter related. The directory lists apps by categories like geo-locators, games, instant message, mobile devices, and web services. Each category displays associated apps with short descriptions where users can rate the app via the up/down arrow, add their comments, or view the apps total points.
What you might like: Variety. The Twitter Forge collection goes beyond just apps to include other unique Twitter related items.
What you won't get: Current information. A lot of the entries haven't been updated in awhile, which means that you probably won't find the most current apps here.
Twapps
Overview: In the same vein as Twtbase, Twapps highlights each app with a thumbnail image and comment content on the home page. Users can navigate category tabs to search for desktop apps, Firefox plugins, mobile, and web apps.
What you might like: Look and feel. The site is easy on the eyes, and since there's only about 90 apps listed you won't get overwhelmed by selection.
What you won't get: Ratings. Unlike similar application databases, Twapps won't let you add a rating or display related applications.
People
Twellow
Overview: When we last wrote about Twellow they had already indexed over 300,000 twitter users and now they're up to 842,000 plus people in their database. Users can search by bio, name, location, or category to return a results set with related individuals, their Twitter stats, and their tweets. Any Twitter user can add themselves, modify their profile to include social links, edit Twitter info, add themselves to more categories (max 20), and include an extended bio.
What you might like: Filtering. This could be an advantage or disadvantage, but Twellow automatically sorts people by their number of followers, though you also have the option to filter by recent activity or verified user. If you're already listed, you can verify it's you, and if you're not listed you can add yourself to the directory.
What you won't get: Updated bios. Besides looking like the yellow pages (ick), Twellow doesn't seem to automatically update your Twitter bio or name if you happen to change your info on Twitter. It's a minor detail, but if Twellow wants to be THE tweeple directory than accurate information should be a priority.
Just Tweet It
Overview: Just Tweet It is a pretty basic do-it-yourself directory where anyone can add themselves to the list. The site uses Wordpress as a platform and lets users view tweeters by directory type.
What you might like: Listings appear to be on a first come first serve basis, so just because Scoble out ranks you in followers, doesn't mean he'll show you up on Just Tweet It. You can also subscribe to individual directories by email, should you need to stay on top of new additions.
What you won't get: Organization. Individual directories are a little hard to sort through, since there are no filtering options, and the information on each user is limited to their Twitter URL, avatar, and short description. The site also lagged in terms of load time, which might indicate that even more growth could make the site difficult and frustrating to use.
Twitter Packs
Overview: The semi-controversial TwitterPacks is a wiki style directory originally started by Chris Brogan about a year ago. People are organized in packs by topic, interest, location, company, and events. I've pretty much avoided the site since I added myself to a few packs last year and discovered shortly there after that I had been deleted by someone else, but that was all ages ago. Now that the dust has settled, TwitterPacks could be just the thing you need to find great people to follow on Twitter.
What you might like: Unique packs. Category types are endless, with the Interest packs including everyone from fitness buffs to gardening gurus, so it's the perfect place for hobbyists to add themselves or connect with like minded individuals. Plus, the convenient Autopack tool lets you follow and unfollow Twitter users based on their pack.
What you won't get: A plethora of information. The people in packs are bountiful, but the information is limited — TwitterPacks simply includes a link to the Twitter profile.
Politics
GovTwit
Overview: Curious about how government agencies and their staffers are using Twitter? Check out GovTwit. This no frills table directory lists tweeters by government agency and includes a link to their Twitter account and blog.
What you might like: Quality. It's a great way to quickly find the typically tight-lipped types on Twitter.
What you won't get: Features. Since it's just table of names, there's no search functionality, and minimal information available on the people in question.
Tweetminster
Overview: Find and discover the politicos from across the pond withTweetminster, a site that lets you view who's tweeting by party, activity, and tags. You can also view party breakdown percentages, and a livestream of all Tweetminster tweeple.
What you might like: Quick search. You can search for a member of parliament by postal code or constituency, and you can even make email requests to encourage non-tweeters to join the coop. Results include Twitter stats, last tweet, and a Tweet tag cloud.
What you won't get: Party equality. Of course it's not Tweetminster's fault, but currently 50% of tweeters are in the Labour party (25% Conservative and 25% Liberal Democrat).
Tweet Congress
Overview: Tweet Congress is a niche service for finding tweeting Congressmen and women by location or name. Search results return a list of tweeters and non-tweeters alike with twitter stats, contact information, and a way to add your name to a petition. You can also view by party, or check out the tweeters on a state map, which lets you mouse over each state to see the ratio of tweeting to non-tweeting representatives, as well as a list view of best represented and most tweeting states.
What you might like: Instant Access. If you login to the site, you can opt to follow representatives right from the site. And like Tweetminster, there's also a livestream that you can subscribe to.
What you won't get: Satisfaction. You'll quickly discover that most of your state's representatives are quiet on the Twitter front.
Strictly Business
Legal Birds
Overview: With Legal Birds, you'll get a nice solid directory devoted to lawyers, academics, and or legal professionals on Twitter. The site displays results in list view, grid view, or map view, and offers abbreviated Twitter related stats (eg. TT = Tweets Today). You can also search from the 421 legal tweeters by type, rank in relation to followers, or most recent tweets.
What you might like: Specialization. You can search for tweeting legal professionals by practice areas like intellectual property and communications law.
What you won't get: Diversity. That one's obvious.
Analyst Twitter Directory
Overview: This big list of analysts, maintained and updated frequently by SageCiricle, sorts professionals in alphabetical order by firm with links to their Twitter profile.
What you might like: It's fresh. The list is constantly updated, making it a comprehensive source for tweeting analysts.
What you won't get: Features. It's just a list.
Book Trade People on Twitter
Overview: This directory, from High Spot Inc, is another gigantic list of Twittering professionals in the book trade including book publishers, literary agents, bookstores, author services, and book reviewers.
What you might like: Quantity. I bet you didn't realize just how many of these book worms were using Twitter.
What you won't get: Authors. For some reason this category is missing from the list.
Twitter Fan Wiki - Minor Celebrities
Overview: The Minor Celebrities section of Twitter Fan Wiki categorizes the almost famous by profession and includes bloggers, CEOs, writers, musicians, and television twitterers.
What you might like: Instant access to your lesser know heroes.
What you won't get: 100% certainty. Since it's a wiki that anyone can contribute to, there's no guarantee that some of these tweeps are legit.
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