The Incredible released for Verizon Wireless after Google announced it would not be manufacturing the Nexus One smart phone for the wireless service provider.  Google’s Android operating system is present on the HTC made Incredible which became available to Verizon customers April 29.  After seeing the early reviews on Twitter and elsewhere and having been holding out for the Nexus One, I too made leap to the Incredible.

The majority of the first day reviews were positive:

1. 
   ScottyDelicious Just got my new #Droid #Incredible from #Verizon today. Flipping awesome! 29 Apr 2010 from HTC Peep
2. 
   mozetti Just got my new #Droid #Incredible and it’s awesome! 29 Apr 2010 from Seesmic
3. 
   giljenkins This new droid of mine is truly #incredible #htc 29 Apr 2010 from web
4. 
   marisafedele Got my #Droid #Incredible! Love it love it love it 30 Apr 2010 from TweetCaster
5. 
   hunleyd First tweet from my new #android phone. Loving it! #incredible #fb 30 Apr 2010 from Seesmic
6. 
   zjdm Got the HTC Incredible. Love it #incredible 30 Apr 2010 from HTC Peep
7. 
   Data_Diva Okay Verizon — I’m ready for my upgrade coupon — love my daughter’s new #Incredible 30 Apr 2010 from TweetDeck
8. 
   hapa_kolea got my #incredible phone(droid) today and it is sooo fast..love it @vzwoffers 30 Apr 2010 from web

The next day, Friday April 30 saw more of the same:

1. 
   akirekadu The Droid Incredible is a is just a sign of incredible things to come on Android. Very happy fo far. #htc #verizon #droid #incredible 30 Apr 2010 from TweetDeck
2. 
   VBetter 2 words for #Droid #Incredible: love it 30 Apr 2010 from TweetDeck
3. 
   bryanbalak And on the 8th day, God created Droid… and it was Incredible. #Droid #HTC #Incredible 30 Apr 2010 from HootSuite
4. 
   determinato The #Incredible makes the iPhone look like 1960s technology. Seriously. 30 Apr 2010 from Touiteur
5. 
   LaJollaJennifer @youplusmeCEO So far, really loving the #Incredible. Never owned a BB so can’t compare, but I am very pleased and would def. recommend. 30 Apr 2010 from web in reply to youplusmeCEO

But there were also a few complaints from the new owners:

1. 
   JFrey16 My #VZW #Incredible battery life is LoUsY. Worst ever – what settings can I check/uncheck to maximize battery life? #fail #3G 30 Apr 2010 from web
2. 
   kenners This #incredible runs pretty hot. It kind of feels like I carry a small nuclear device… gahahah. 30 Apr 2010 from Seesmic
3. 
   dveritas biggest disappointment with incredible so far poor Google documents support. #incredible #google #android 30 Apr 2010 from HTC Peep
4. 
   bequadro With the screen brightness turned off on my #incredible it is impossible to see the screen in the sun 30 Apr 2010 from HTC Peep

However that didn’t stop at least one person (me) from getting the phone:

1. 
   andykahn 1st tweet on new #HTC #incredible. Impressed so far. What do others think? 03 May 2010 from Twitter for Android
2. 
   andykahn So far really impressed with #incredible speed and ease of use. Still getting used to touch screen 03 May 2010 from Twitter for Android
3. 
   andykahn What are the must have #Droid apps? #incredible 03 May 2010 from Twitter for Android

Recently, music-based blogs hosted on Google’s Blogger have been disappearing, seemingly shut down by Google in a move to combat illegal digital downloading. This week saw more sites being deleted.  Many sites have been blocked with little or no prior warning.  In response to Google’s abrupt actions, many bloggers and readers took to Twitter to voice their opposition to the take downs.  The hash tag #Musicblogocide2k10 is being used to mark the discussion.

One of the latest victims was MyOldKyHome.Blogspot.com now myoldkentuckyblog.com (@DodgeMOKB) and many tweets went out about it:

1. 
   thebluewalrus #musicblogocide2k10 is back in town – this time My Old Kentucky blog [@DodgeMOKB] is in the firing line. [via @knoxroad] 10 Apr 2010 from TweetDeck
2. 
   Rockstar_Aimz No way. RT @Slowcoustic: Seriously Blogger!? RT @thebluewalrus: #musicblogocide2k10 is back in town – this time My Old Kentucky blog 10 Apr 2010 from TweetDeck
3. 
   acarmichaelhgtv Freakin’ @Blogger and their #musicblogocide2k10 apparently killed My Old Kentucky Blog ;~) @DodgeMOKB 11 Apr 2010 from web
4. 
   davecusick Apropos in light of @DodgeMOKB, latest vic of #musicblogocide2k10 @TheEconomist “Copyright and Wrong” http://bit.ly/ceiOc9 (via @dabravanel) 12 Apr 2010 from web
5. 
   zstreetsonfire @DodgeMOKB latest victim of #Musicblogocide2k10 The no explanation seems out of character for a company like Google. crazy/sad 13 Apr 2010 from web in reply to DodgeMOKB

The blog took to its Twitter feed to keep readers updated with plans to find a new host:

1. 
   DodgeMOKB MOKB returns tomorrow! http://myoldkentuckyblog.com – some time between Noon and 1pm ET! Thanks for the patience! 15 Apr 2010 from web
2. 
   DodgeMOKB Looks like new MyOldKentuckyBlog.com may not go up until tomorrow…bugs…sorry! But tomorrow for sure! 15 Apr 2010 from web
3. 
   DodgeMOKB @CultureBully haha…nah, we used to be at myoldkyhome.blogspot actually. The new http://myoldkentuckyblog is soooooooo close to launch. 18 Apr 2010 from web in reply to CultureBully

Filles Sourires (formerly, Fillessourires.blogspot.com and now fillessourires.com) was another blog tweeted about being gone:

1. 
   Guuzbourg Another victim of #musicblogocide2k10 : Filles Sourires. But I’m working on something else, no worries. 12 Apr 2010 from web
2. 
   derekb such a shame! good luck RT @Guuzbourg: Another victim of #musicblogocide2k10 : Filles Sourires. I’m working on something else, no worries. 12 Apr 2010 from TweetDeck

At least one apparent music blogger (@ceruleanlobster), her site not featured on her twitter feed (but mostly likely is lobster.blogspot.com) voiced fear of being in Google’s sights:

1. 
   ceruleanlobster #musicblogocide2k10 I hope mine doensn’t get shut down. I do every legally. 12 Apr 2010 from web

The Twitter Search interface is brilliant.

Thousands of tweets are posted per minute. And this tool allows you to search all of them — in real-time. It’s been affectionately called the “Google of Twitter” in the past, and it’s sometimes viewed as a threat to Google itself. Simply put, it’s a tool you can’t miss.

Journalist or not, it’s hard to get the full Twitter experience without delving into Twitter Search.

Not only is it a great way to find people talking about things you’re interested in (keyword searches) or to find people who live nearby (geographic searches), but it can also be used to track brand names, user mentions, company mentions, general emotions, pictures, and a whole lot more.

But how does a journalist use the real-time search capability effectively? In all of the following ways:

1. Track mentions and interact: See what people are saying about you and your company. Reach out to those paying compliments and thank them, and equally get in touch with the nay-sayers and start a dialogue so you can gain valuable feedback.
2. Utilize trends to see what’s hot: The top 10 trending topics are listed in blue links on the Search home page, as well as on your Twitter.com Web profile page. Keep an eye on these at all times. You never know when breaking news will pop up or a topic of interest to you makes the trends.
3. Find breaking news tweets: Nothing is more exciting than breaking news on Twitter. But you need to be quick to find the goods. Before a discussion gets too spammy, and everyone joins the fray, jump on breaking news stories fast and search keywords and the locale to find tweets that add context.
4. Don’t be afraid to go back: The “Older” link at the bottom of the first page and at the top and bottom of the rest is your best friend. While Search.Twitter.com is the Google of Twitter, results aren’t sorted by relevance; instead, the best in the bunch is oftentimes a few pages back — especially during breaking news.
5. Click the links: The tweets alone won’t be enough to satisfy your information hunger. Click the Twitter user’s name to learn more about them and see their past tweets. Click “Show conversation” when it appears to find context to Twitter dialogue in a threaded format. And most importantly, click the Web links in the tweets themselves (but first — for shortened URLs like bit.ly — try clicking “expand” to see that they’re not spam).

These are just five ways on how to effectively use real-time search in your day-to-day duties. Got more? Let us know how you use Twitter’s Search capabilities and other ideas you can think of. Just leave a comment or contact us at @TwitJourn.

Related links:
“How to make Twitter content searchable” | SEO for Journalists
“Researching news on Twitter” | Media Helping Media

Tonight I had the chance to meet Rick Murray, president of Edelman Digital, a division of Edelman that specializes in digital communication and social media outreach. He says there’s a new 24-hour news cycle and media companies must adapt.

“Today news is broken on Twitter, guaranteed. Then it goes to the Web site, and then the newspaper,” he said. “You have to know this because this is where things are going.”

He stressed that companies of all kinds, especially media companies, need to be on Twitter and frequently use Twitter Search to see what people are saying about them. Some companies may have hundreds of mentions every day and it’s important they monitor their brand and interact with users. Only a human can do this job, he says, but it might just be one human to start.

He also said media companies should have a Facebook presence and they need to “master Google because Google is the world’s operating system.”

Murray said that anyone on Twitter can learn from Scott Monty (@ScottMonty), head of social media at Ford, who has helped launch Ford as the No. 1 most respected brand in social media today. Monty takes the time to interact with users, answer questions, talk about what he’s doing, and not just talk about Ford all the time. It’s been a mix that’s been quite well received.

Follow Murray on Twitter: @rickmurray.