Even before I started working for my dad and helping new clients get plugged in on Twitter, I definitely had a soft spot for every one’s favorite new Web 2.0 trend. My previous job, officially titled something superfluous like “SMART Commons Student Staff” involved a lot of work standing in front of a computer station, being ready to answer miscellaneous questions about the university libraries. Since I wasn’t being asked questions or required to shelf DVDs 100% of the time, my long shifts could provide me with some downtime (especially when working late).
What really makes Twitter great are the many free tools for viewing and posting updates. With that introduction in place, my favorite Twitter tools, used frequently and recommended with sincerity, are as follows:
TwitterFox: Do you ever get tired of the Twitter website? Keeping a tab open for Twitter may not be too bothersome, but having to refresh each time you want to check for updates is tedious. TwitterFox will not only free up a tab in your browser but will give a discrete popup reminder each time someone on your follow list sends an update. Also useful is the ease with which you can log into and out of different Twitter accounts. Of all the 3rd-party Twitter-Clients that I have tried I would say that TwitterFox is the most elegantly executed: just install the Firefox add-on and login!
twitterfeed: Microblogging can best be described as blogging for lazy people. But sometimes I feel less lazy than 140 characters and that’s when I want to transfer all of the interest and attention my Twitter followers have to my blog(s). Now, this isn’t to say that the best way to internet stardom is to rush to get 1000 Twitter followers and link your blog articles on Twitter. The reality is that individual attention is always limited. People read what they think will matter to them. All that said, twitterfeed is a great way to combine different parts of your web presence. The work of setting up the twitterfeed is a simple one-time process. Just set it up and relax as your blog entries turn into tweets.
Twitt(url)y: If there is one defect of the Twitter website it is that it doesn’t easily allow you to discover people who share your interests. Twitter directories, sites where users enter their Twitter name and a list of interests, don’t really solve this problem. There are different directories and many people don’t bother to opt in to any of them. Also, the words that are used to define “interests” might be rather narrow. If, for example, I care about search engine optimization then I will follow people who list “SEO” as an interest. But, someone might tweet a lot about topics relating to SEO and never bother to think that SEO is one of their interests (they might use a related term like “googling” or “web design”). Twitturly has many uses: find hot topics, find out how many people retweeted something, easily reference links you have tweeted. It’s best use, in my opinion, is quickly and easily discovering people who share a common interest with you. Click on one of your tweeted links and suddenly you know everyone else who found that subject interesting and what they had to say about it (in 140 characters or less).
So, that’s my list. If you find something I’ve missed or want to give a shout out to your favorite “Twitter tool” (no spam please) follow me on Twitter and send me a message by typing @kchjr into your tweet.
