Mapping the Twitterverse

Building out an old infographic from last May, sociologist Brian Solis teamed up with data visualization specialists JESS3 and Jesse Thomas to construct a current map of the Twitterverse. In putting together the first version of the graphic, Solis spent "the better part of Fall 2008 studying and organizing the available Twitter apps available for marketing, community management, and customer service professionals," he explained on his website. "Once organized, I published Twitter Tools for Marketing and Community Professionals on October 17, 2008. I actively curated and modified the list for several months." But too many new applications were introduced -- and too many old ones abandoned -- for Solis to keep up.

With thousands of applications now available that rely on Twitter, this new map is incomplete. (Solis is taking recommendations for must-includes on his site.) But it does show how large the service has grown since officially launching in July 2006.

(Click on the image for a high-resolution, enlarged version of the map.)