The next time you log into Twitter, pay attention to the side bar. Under your stats, there'll be a white box with rounded corners, where there is a promotion for a Twitter-integrated website. Often, I find these promotions helpful, and it was one of these that turned me on to fantastic iPhone application called Twitterrific. Over the next few weeks, I will be reviewing the different websites that Twitter promotes.

The first of the aforementioned websites is Topsy, a search engine powered by Tweets. According to the website, "Topsy sees the Internet as a stream of conversations. Topsy treats people differently from the webpages they create and the things they say. When you search for something on Topsy, it finds snippets of conversations that match what you’re looking for. Topsy results are the things people link to, when they’re talking about your search terms."

That said, Topsy isn't shouldn't replace your default search engine, it isn't as powerful. A "honda accord" inquiry will return tweets that include a photo of a stolen Honda Accord, a Facebook note which describes a Honda Accord, and a how-to article on converting your Honda Accord to run on trash. Similarly an inquiry of "the big bang theory" will return tweets with links to torrents for the hit TV series The Big Bang Theory, news about the show, et cetera. What it will not give you is information on the Big Bang Theory, a scientific theory.

There is an upside to Topsy, and that is the search results are up-to-date. Because the service is based on conversations that are happening in the present, the results will change instantly.

Try it out for yourself.