Even if you are still getting your news from a printed newspaper, you ve heard about Twitter, the personal sound bites and observations that folks blast through the ether to friends and followers. With our new column, Twitter Beat, we will sort through the most interesting business chatter so you don t have to. We will introduce you to the smartest market watchers who are offering real-time information, analysis, commentary some of whom you may want to follow on your own. Check in here every Friday for best, and sometimes worst, tweets of the previous seven days.

On the chattering classes mind this week: Rupert Murdoch's fight with Google, the HP-3Com deal, finance-industry reform and why CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow should stick to stock talk. Here s SmartMoney s roundup.

ECONOMY/GENERAL BUSINESS

Dr. John Rutledge
Head of Rutledge Capital, tax policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan
http://twitter.com/johnrutledge

Greaat chart - unemployment rate by education level. show it to your kids. Tell them to stay in school. http://yfrog.com/e6y6yj

Tom Foremski
Journalist, runs web site Silicon Valley Watcher
http://twitter.com/tomforemski

Here's an easy prediction: GOOG will announce it will pay for News Corp content like its AP deal -- http://bit.ly/2xSSBT

(On announcement that Rupert Murdoch plans to block Google from searching and linking to News Corp.-owned Web sites)

GM Blogs
General Motors' official Twitter feed
http://twitter.com/GMblogs

I took this job with a serious level of skepticism. 5 months later, it's giving way 2 optimisim [sic] little by little- E.Whitacre

(Quoting CEO Ed Whitacre, during speech at Texas Lutheran University)

Ivanka Trump
Businesswoman, daughter of real estate mogul Donald Trump
http://twitter.com/IvankaTrump

"Capital isn t scarce; vision is. Sam Walton

Rosabeth Kanter
Professor, Harvard Business School; author of SuperCorp
http://twitter.com/RosabethKanter

Just because this is a time of transformation doesn't mean that it's easy to sell transformational ideas

(On U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd's financial reform bill, released Tuesday)

Bill George
Former CEO, Medtronic
http://twitter.com/Bill_George

Congress considering bill to limit bank size to mitigate risk. What matters isn't size, but risk management and leverage ratios

Andy Swan
Active trader
http://twitter.com/AndySwan

Lot of talk about how VC needs to get smaller. I agree, but I also think startups need to get bigger.

Nimble is one thing. Easy-to-crush is another.

Joe Donohue
CEO of Desert Shores Capital LP
http://twitter.com/upsidetrader

think volumes light? take out C, FNM, FRE, BAC -- account for 20% daily, the first Quaalude driven rally I've ever seen

(On Tuesday's stock trading)

Adam Warner
Options trader
http://twitter.com/agwarner

PCLN 207. Shatner looking into buying his own starship.

(On Priceline.com's pitchman William Shatner, when the stock hit a nine-year high Tuesday)

Dan Primack
Editor of private equity-focused Web site
http://twitter.com/peHUB

HP deal for 3Com is worth $2.7b. Bain Capital agreed to buy 3Com for $2.2b last yr, but deal fell apart due to presence of chinese partner.

(On Wednesday's news that HP was acquiring 3Com)

Zero Hedge
Commentary from editors of the financial blog, zerohedge.com

New post: $1.5 Million In Blatant Insider Trading Profit Following 3Com Acquisition http://tinyurl.com/yfop6wd

(On suspicious options trading before the announcement of the HP-3Com deal)

THE LIGHTER SIDE

Evan Williams
CEO, Twitter
http://twitter.com/ev

Got a new iPhone today, and my Blackberry mysteriously stopped working. My last iPhone went missing. I think they're in a power struggle.

The Onion
Satirical new site
http://twitter.com/theonion

Cash for Clunkers Resulted in Trucks for Trucks

Howard Linzon
Co-founder and CEO, of real-time trading information site, www.stocktwits.com
http://twitter.com/howardlindzon

something sad about @ebay having just 3,000 followers. i think zenith and tandy have more $$

Jim Gobetz
Trader
http://twitter.com/aiki14

Just hearing Kudlow say "intimate apparel" is so creepy I switched to my ipod reflexively

(On CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow's interview Wednesday with Maidenform CEO Maurice Reznick)