Every PR person/NMD will tell you that should be taking part in the ‘conversation’, but as Mark Redgrave points out, the first ingredient to taking part in this conversation is listening. No service has more ears positioned against its doors than Twitter, our 140 character friend. The character limit makes it easy for consumers to spout off succinct complaints, praises, and questions (or status updates about lunch, changes in weather, and most recently tax hatred). The length also makes it easy for companies like @NYTimes, @comcast, and @biritemkt to listen to what customers are saying. Below you’ll find some advice about monitoring Twitter along with two tools we use to keep track of Stage Two clients like @boxee, @BugLabs, @Splashtop, @LegacyLocker, @Pogoplug, and @12seconds.
Searches
The first element of monitoring Twitter (and using the tools below) is constructing the right kinds of searches. The most obvious is just searching for the company name, but even that can be problematic. As an example, Bug Labs twitter search is ‘“bug labs” OR buglabs‘ (similar issue for Legacy Locker). On the other hand, boxee’s service includes the option to automatically tweet based on usage, so our search changes to “boxee -watching -likes -recommends“. Building effective searches can be quite a challenge, and you might even want to make specific ones regarding positive/negative feedback (for example, if you were in charge of monitoring conversations about Sony, I would set up this search).
Beware the mob…
One other tip on Twitter issues we’d like to share: beware the mob. Due to the rapid-fire nature of Twitter communication, there’s a certain degree of FIRE, AIM, FIRE, FIRE, AIM, READY? If something starts going wrong (ahem, Domino’s… Amazon…), it tends to go very wrong. How you react in these moments can either pour gasoline on the fire, or put it out completely. Like everything, there’s no specific “do this” or “don’t do that” when it comes to disaster control. But you need to be ready for when it happens and be ready to move quickly, before it has the chance to escalate wildly beyond control.
Tools
Rather than spend all day at the Twitter Search web page, we use tools to passively monitor tweets in realtime. The tool we use most is Tweetdeck. Its columned layout lets you monitor a twitter account (including direct messages and replies), 12seconds videos, and multiple twitter searches on the same screen. Tweetdeck can also send tweets and record 12seconds videos.
I currently have a twitter search set up for each client, along with my twitter account (@academik), 12seconds account, and Facebook status updates (outside the realm of client monitoring, but worth mentioning). From the same interface I’m able to see everything that’s being said to me and about my clients, quickly answer questions and reply to complaints. It’s the swiss army knife of Twitter. My only complaint is that I can’t monitor two Twitter accounts (@academik and @s2) at the same time, but that’s also the number one request on Tweetdeck’s User voice page so I’m hopeful it’s in the works.
When we need more robust search functionality we use Yahoo’s Sideline application. Advanced search options allow you to monitor tweets with “all of these words”, “this exact phrase”, “any of these words”, or from a specific person, to a specific person (tweet starts off with @name), or about someone (tweet mentions @name). You can combine these searches into one twitter stream and monitor it in Sideline or separate your searches into different tabs. I prefer Tweetdeck’s columned approach so I can see it all at once without having to switch between tabs, but for a single product Sideline’s search depth makes it a valuable complement to Tweetdeck.
Regardless of how and what you’re tracking, remember that while Twitter is now almost ‘mainstream’ (@Oprah!), your main focus should still be on the things that add value for your customer, of which Twitter plays only a small part (and despite media hype, is unlikely in our opinion to ever truly be used by the masses). A great customer experience starts with setting a consumer’s expectations, delivering a product that exceeds those expectations, and finally making sure their interactions with you over the phone, via email, in chat, in person, and lastly, yes via Twitter, fulfill their needs in a way that makes them an evangelist for you.
reach into Twitter’s user base as well (most 12ers link their 12seconds account to their Twitter accounts.) 
model. We sincerely wish them great success – we agree that it could be a really positive win for everyone involved, including the users, the brands and 12seconds itself.
Some exciting news this morning from 
As a reminder, Legacy Locker is designed to help transition your online accounts (your digital assets) in the event of your passing. The service ensures that access to all the sites and services you use online (email, social networks, and other websites) are safely and securely passed on to your designated beneficiaries.