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Webware Radar: Particls brings keyword search back to Twitter

Also: Oodle powering AOL Classifieds; Skimlinks raises an undisclosed amount of funding; and Robert Klapper is the new chief at Insurance.com.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read

Particls, a company that once provided RSS feed organizers, announced Monday that it has launched a new project, called Particls Fountain. According to the company, the project will replace Twitter Track, which allowed the microblog's users to follow topics by keyword, and users will be able to use it with Google Talk or Twitter itself.

To start using Particls Fountain, the company says users will first need to follow @particls on Twitter. To track a specific keyword, users can then start a request with "d particls" and follow that with the keyword they want to have access to. Once that tweet is transmitted, any and all mentions of the particular keyword will be sent directly to the individual Twitter user. As you might expect, the service is free.

AOL Classifieds announced Monday that it has enlisted the help of Oodle, a classifieds aggregator that has already inked similar deals with Facebook and MySpace, to power AOL's classifieds page. According to the company, AOL's page will feature more than 30 million listings aggregated from more than 80,000 sites. Each classified listing will link users to other properties in the AOL network, including autos, personals, and real estate. A Canadian version is also available Monday and the UK iteration will launch later this week.

Publisher affiliate aggregator Skimlinks announced Monday that it has raised an undisclosed sum of funding in a round that was led by Sussex Place Ventures. According to the company's executives, who recently changed the company's name from Skimbit, they will use the funding to expand their new focus as an aggregator.

Insurance.com, an online auto insurance agency, announced that its board of directors has appointed Robert Klapper as its new CEO. Klapper succeeds Dave Roush, the company's founder, who will remain chairman of the board. Prior to his new appointment, Klapper was CEO at One Day University and a former CMO at Prosper Marketplace, an online peer-to-peer lender.

DubMeNow, a company that provides users with the ability to exchange contact information via text or e-mail in one click is available now on all US phones. According to the company, the tool will load contact information directly into the user's mobile address book and updates it automatically whenever the contact's information changes. DubMeNow partnered with Microsoft, Google, Salesforce.com, RIM, and LinkedIn on the technology.

Mission AdWorks launched its "socially responsible" advertising network Monday, which connects publishers, bloggers, and other site owners who are "making a positive impact on the world" with marketers. The network features verticals in topics ranging from environmental community, social enterprise community, youth media and community, and others.