Having 
Understanding What
Is All About?
What
Is This
Thing Anyway?
And
What The Heck Is A 
?
All very good questions, so I
hope to be able to answer these
questions and more about Twitter for you here on this page.
Let's get started!
questions and more about Twitter for you here on this page.
Let's get started!
There
are TONS of tools that you can use with
***************************************************************************************************
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I've put togeher
this
comprehensive list, and if I have missed any of your favorites, send me
a Tweet or
an email.
As Twitter grows,
so does
the number
of ways people use it.
As a result, more and more tools and applications are being developed
to help people cure their seemingly insatiable need for tweets.
If you don't need any introduction and you just want to get
right down to the Tools, click here
As a result, more and more tools and applications are being developed
to help people cure their seemingly insatiable need for tweets.
If you don't need any introduction and you just want to get
right down to the Tools, click here
First A Brief
Intro
For You.
Twitter, in a
nutshell, is
a microblogging platform... which is exactly what it sounds like: tiny
blogs. Fancy names make everything more fun though, right?
Anyway, the idea is that while people use a blog to post their thoughts on various subjects, and the entries are as long as they want them to be, Twitter posts, or "tweets" are shorter entries up to 140 characters in length - unless you use a tool like Twitzer, (click here, then scroll down to read more about it). Your tweets are displayed to everyone who is Following you, which simply means they have subscribed to your tweets, and you will also see the tweets of everyone you are following (in chronological order) whenever you log in.
Anyway, the idea is that while people use a blog to post their thoughts on various subjects, and the entries are as long as they want them to be, Twitter posts, or "tweets" are shorter entries up to 140 characters in length - unless you use a tool like Twitzer, (click here, then scroll down to read more about it). Your tweets are displayed to everyone who is Following you, which simply means they have subscribed to your tweets, and you will also see the tweets of everyone you are following (in chronological order) whenever you log in.
Talk
Like many social networks, Twitter has it's own mini-language.
There are some very Twitter-specific terms and definitions that are
important to understand if you plan on using Twitter with much success.
This is a crash course in some of those terms.
@Reply: A public tweet directed towards a specific member in reference to something they recently tweeted. These posts start with @username:. Use the "reply" arrow on a tweet to create an @reply. These are tracked and stored in the "@replies" tab on your profile whenever someone sends one to you.
Direct Message: A private message (still confined to 140 characters) from one person to another.
Follow: Subscribing to someone's tweets. If you are following someone, you will get an update every time they post a new tweet.
Nudge: A polite way to remind someone that they haven't tweeted in a while.
Public Timeline: The tweets of everyone on Twitter in chronological order.
Retweet: Basically repeating someone else's tweet to your own followers. Kind of like forwarding an email. When possible, insert the word "Retweet" or "RT" and reference the person you are copying from, so everyone knows who's tweet it was. Some of the different Twitter applications (discussed later) actually include a Retweet function.
Tweet: A single post, or update
Note: When referencing or mentioning another twitter user in a your tweets, place an "@" before their name. Example:
@davedube instead of DaveDube
This way, Twitter creates a link to that user's profile, making them easy for your followers to find.
@Reply: A public tweet directed towards a specific member in reference to something they recently tweeted. These posts start with @username:. Use the "reply" arrow on a tweet to create an @reply. These are tracked and stored in the "@replies" tab on your profile whenever someone sends one to you.
Direct Message: A private message (still confined to 140 characters) from one person to another.
Follow: Subscribing to someone's tweets. If you are following someone, you will get an update every time they post a new tweet.
Nudge: A polite way to remind someone that they haven't tweeted in a while.
Public Timeline: The tweets of everyone on Twitter in chronological order.
Retweet: Basically repeating someone else's tweet to your own followers. Kind of like forwarding an email. When possible, insert the word "Retweet" or "RT" and reference the person you are copying from, so everyone knows who's tweet it was. Some of the different Twitter applications (discussed later) actually include a Retweet function.
Tweet: A single post, or update
Note: When referencing or mentioning another twitter user in a your tweets, place an "@" before their name. Example:
@davedube instead of DaveDube
This way, Twitter creates a link to that user's profile, making them easy for your followers to find.
More
About
Now that we're all on the same Page.... er, I mean Tweet :-)
There's more to Twitter than followers and tweets &
..You can use Twitter to meet new people, just like you would on a site like MySpace or Facebook. Enter the power of Twitter Search!
Search:
Not Just For Finding Friends
Twitter Search allows you not only to find specific people, but to find
groups of people with common interests or hobbies based on what they
put in their tweets.
Visit Twitter Search to try it out.
Now, when you arrive a Twitter Search, you get a page that looks a lot like a search engine (duh!). You can type in anything you want, and you'll get back a list of tweets from EVERYONE on Twitter that matches your search.
Simple enough.
The cool part is you can either click on the Advanced Search link or use some Search Operators. To make things easy, There is a link to and from each option at the top of both pages. Let's look at how both work.
Advanced Search is a site that lets you define various search criteria. For super specific searches, especially if you don't want to remember all of the Search Operators (discussed next) Advanced Search can be pretty handy. Here's what the Advanced Search screen looks like:
The page is split into three boxes.
First, we have the Words box. This allows you to search for tweets containing the following criteria:
Visit Twitter Search to try it out.
Now, when you arrive a Twitter Search, you get a page that looks a lot like a search engine (duh!). You can type in anything you want, and you'll get back a list of tweets from EVERYONE on Twitter that matches your search.
Simple enough.
The cool part is you can either click on the Advanced Search link or use some Search Operators. To make things easy, There is a link to and from each option at the top of both pages. Let's look at how both work.
Advanced Search
Advanced Search is a site that lets you define various search criteria. For super specific searches, especially if you don't want to remember all of the Search Operators (discussed next) Advanced Search can be pretty handy. Here's what the Advanced Search screen looks like:
The page is split into three boxes.
First, we have the Words box. This allows you to search for tweets containing the following criteria:
- All of the words you specify (in any order)
- The exact phrase you specify (the words must appear in the order you have specified
- Any of your words (and in any order, and not necessarily together in the tweet)
- A specific hashtag what's a hashtag?
- In a specific language
Next, we have the People box. This box allows you to search for tweets that are:
- From a specific person (who sent the tweet)
- To a specific person
- Referencing a specific person
Next up is the Places box. This allows you to search for tweets based on the following:
- A location
- Proximity (in miles or kilometers) to that location
The Dates box allows you to search for tweets sent since a certain date or until a certain date.
The Attitudes box allows you to search based on:
- :) - Positive Attitude
- :( - Negative Attitude
- ? - Asking a Question
The final, Other box allows you check a box if you want tweets that contain links and specify how many tweets you want on each page of results.
Play around with some of these search options, try combining operators and you'll be amazed what you can find. If you want to know if something is a good idea, or just learn more about a topic, you have access to everything that everyone is saying about it on Twitter.Tips
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using Twitter
Tweet Reasonably
Twitter was created to answer the question "What are you doing?" One of the worst things you can do is take that questions too seriously and start updating everyone every time you breathe. Not every passing moment is worthy of a tweet. Why? because over tweeting clogs up the timeline. When you log into Twitter, you want to see what people are up to. If the last 50 tweets you received were all from the same person, you can't see anyone else.
Don't Leave A Mess On The Counter
If you do find yourself making a sandwich, clean up after yourself. No one likes a slob.
Tweet Regularly
You want your tweets to be consistent, otherwise your followers will forget you exist. Plus, if you aren't tweeting very often, your updates will just get buried by people who are.
Be Interesting
Consistency is important, but you also want your tweets to be interesting, informative and (when possible) entertaining. Share a thought that passes through your mind. Let everyone know if you are going out, in case they feel like meeting you somewhere. If you are surfing the web and find something interesting (like a new Squidoo lens about Twitter, perhaps?) tweet that, because then you are sharing cool stuff that will make people look forward to your tweets.
Follow Selectively
Also, don't go "follow-crazy." One of the first things people will notice about you on your profile page is how many people you have following you vs. how many people you are following. There are a lot of twitterers out there who's philosophy is to follow everyone under the sun in the hopes of getting a return follow, just for the sake of boosting their numbers. This is bad for two primary reasons:
Choose who you follow carefully, and make sure they count.
Look In The Right Places
When looking for new people to follow and connect with, look for people that you can be sure you will enjoy following. Do a search for a hobby of yours, check the public timeline to see who's been tweeting about the things you are interested in.
Look at the other people who are following someone with you. Odds are, if they are following the same person you are, they have some sort of common interest.
Get Followed the Right ways
And for the right reasons. If you want a good base of followers, here are some ideas:
Fill Out Your Profile
Fill in as much information about yourself as possible. People are more likely to follow you if they know who you are and what you're all about. It lets them know what they can expect from your tweets.
Spruce Up Your Page
As soothing as the light blue default background is, do something a little more fun with your Twitter page. Use a picture for the background, or try out the built in designs that Twitter provides for you. At the very least play around with the color scheme. The more attractive your page is, the more of an impression you'll make.
Twitter was created to answer the question "What are you doing?" One of the worst things you can do is take that questions too seriously and start updating everyone every time you breathe. Not every passing moment is worthy of a tweet. Why? because over tweeting clogs up the timeline. When you log into Twitter, you want to see what people are up to. If the last 50 tweets you received were all from the same person, you can't see anyone else.
Don't Leave A Mess On The Counter
If you do find yourself making a sandwich, clean up after yourself. No one likes a slob.
Tweet Regularly
You want your tweets to be consistent, otherwise your followers will forget you exist. Plus, if you aren't tweeting very often, your updates will just get buried by people who are.
Be Interesting
Consistency is important, but you also want your tweets to be interesting, informative and (when possible) entertaining. Share a thought that passes through your mind. Let everyone know if you are going out, in case they feel like meeting you somewhere. If you are surfing the web and find something interesting (like a new Squidoo lens about Twitter, perhaps?) tweet that, because then you are sharing cool stuff that will make people look forward to your tweets.
Follow Selectively
Also, don't go "follow-crazy." One of the first things people will notice about you on your profile page is how many people you have following you vs. how many people you are following. There are a lot of twitterers out there who's philosophy is to follow everyone under the sun in the hopes of getting a return follow, just for the sake of boosting their numbers. This is bad for two primary reasons:
- It makes you look needy. If they see that no one is interested in your tweets, why should they be?
- If you use Twitter for any sort of business or marketing, it really just makes you look like a spammer.
Choose who you follow carefully, and make sure they count.
Look In The Right Places
When looking for new people to follow and connect with, look for people that you can be sure you will enjoy following. Do a search for a hobby of yours, check the public timeline to see who's been tweeting about the things you are interested in.
Look at the other people who are following someone with you. Odds are, if they are following the same person you are, they have some sort of common interest.
Get Followed the Right ways
And for the right reasons. If you want a good base of followers, here are some ideas:
- Search for people you actually know (duh!).
- Once you find some friends, check out their followers. If you know them, you might know some of their friends.
- Tweet regularly and be interesting. If people spot an interesting tweet on the public timeline, they will probably check you out. If they see that most of your tweets are interesting, you will probably have a new follower.
Fill Out Your Profile
Fill in as much information about yourself as possible. People are more likely to follow you if they know who you are and what you're all about. It lets them know what they can expect from your tweets.
Spruce Up Your Page
As soothing as the light blue default background is, do something a little more fun with your Twitter page. Use a picture for the background, or try out the built in designs that Twitter provides for you. At the very least play around with the color scheme. The more attractive your page is, the more of an impression you'll make.
Customizing Your Background
Because first impressions are everything
Whatever you do, don't forget to customize your background. If someone
sees an interesting tweet, they will most likely want to check out your
profile, and hopefully click the all-powerful "follow" button.
The Basics
If you want a quick, basic way to dress up your profile, you have a couple of options. First, you can simply select one of the basic profile templates by clicking the settings link, and then selecting the design tab. You can also edit your color scheme on this page as well. You can customize the colors of the background, the sidebar, the sidebar's border, the text, and the links.
Custom Backgrounds
You can also set any image you want to be your background by uploading an image on the design tab.
Here are a couple of sites you can check out for help with a customized background:
TwitBacks.com
This site will help you build a free customized background. You can upload two images, enter your company name, website, social networking profiles, etc. TwitBacks then takes that information and creates an image file to display it. All you have to do then is upload the file to your Twitter account. Note: Don't go too crazy and fill in every field TwitBacks gives you. The more information you enter the longer the list of personal info becomes and this can cause your background to get cut off if its too long for the screen. Make sure you check to see that the image is displaying properly after you upload it.
TweetBacks.com
Similar name, very different site. Rather that building a background for you, this is a site where you can download free background templates to be edited in PowerPoint.
TwitterBacks.com
This site provides you with a selection templates that you can download and edit using Adobe Photoshop. Of the three sites listed, this is probably the most professional looking option.
Homemade Backgrounds
If none of the other options provide you with a satisfactory result, you can try creating your own by creating some custom word art using a site like CoolText.com and creating a background image in an image editor such as Microsoft Paint, or anything else you are comfortable with. If you do choose this option, here are some guidelines for placing your images:
Don't be afraid to experiment... if you background doesn't come out quite right, edit it and try uploading again.
The Basics
If you want a quick, basic way to dress up your profile, you have a couple of options. First, you can simply select one of the basic profile templates by clicking the settings link, and then selecting the design tab. You can also edit your color scheme on this page as well. You can customize the colors of the background, the sidebar, the sidebar's border, the text, and the links.
Custom Backgrounds
You can also set any image you want to be your background by uploading an image on the design tab.
Here are a couple of sites you can check out for help with a customized background:
TwitBacks.com
This site will help you build a free customized background. You can upload two images, enter your company name, website, social networking profiles, etc. TwitBacks then takes that information and creates an image file to display it. All you have to do then is upload the file to your Twitter account. Note: Don't go too crazy and fill in every field TwitBacks gives you. The more information you enter the longer the list of personal info becomes and this can cause your background to get cut off if its too long for the screen. Make sure you check to see that the image is displaying properly after you upload it.
TweetBacks.com
Similar name, very different site. Rather that building a background for you, this is a site where you can download free background templates to be edited in PowerPoint.
TwitterBacks.com
This site provides you with a selection templates that you can download and edit using Adobe Photoshop. Of the three sites listed, this is probably the most professional looking option.
Homemade Backgrounds
If none of the other options provide you with a satisfactory result, you can try creating your own by creating some custom word art using a site like CoolText.com and creating a background image in an image editor such as Microsoft Paint, or anything else you are comfortable with. If you do choose this option, here are some guidelines for placing your images:
- Place image about 14 pixels from the top of the screen to line it up with the Twitter logo
- You don't want the image to reach much more than 230 - 235 pixels from the left edge of the screen, or it will get cut off. Keep that in mind when aligning/centering your images.
- Once your image is uploaded, go to the design tab under the settings link and edit the color scheme so it goes with whatever background you created.
Don't be afraid to experiment... if you background doesn't come out quite right, edit it and try uploading again.
Firefox Add-ons
Firefox is an awesome web browser, with a number of cool Twitter Add-ons
Ok, so most people know that one of the very best things about Firefox
is the versatility of its add-ons. If you aren't already using Firefox
(which means you are probably still using Internet Explorer - unless of
course you have a Mac) you should definitely
download it using one of these Firefox
links. It's a totally free browser, and a ton of fun to use. It's going
to be very similar to what you are used to (provided you are used to
the most recent version of internet explorer) but give you more speed
and control over your browsing.
Anyway, back to Twitter...
Here are some of the more popular Firefox add ons for Twitter. You can find them by accessing the following menus within Firefox:
Tools>>Add-ons, once there, you can click the "add-ons" tab and perform a search for Twitter.
PowerTwitter 
Get more out of your twitter experience: play videos and music, see and share photos, search and track, see what's hot on Twitter, find cool people / build your followers, and lots of stuff like Facebook updates, expanded urls, hashtags, peek, and more.
FleckTweet
Fleck allows you to interact with pages on the web just as if it were pages in a magazine. You can save your annotated page for yourself, send it to friends or colleagues or use it in your blog.
TwitterFox
TwitterFox was created by Kazohu Okui. TwitterFox is a small, unobtrusive add-on (which is the very best kind!) that enables you to not only view incoming tweets, but update your own without actually visiting Twitter.com. Once installed, TwitterFox creates a small Twitter logo in the corner of your status bar (bottom right of the browser). Whenever a new tweet comes in, a small bubble will pop up and display the tweet a few seconds (you can edit the interval on the "Preferences" screen.)
By clicking on the TwitterFox icon, you can review the last 40 tweets you have received plus view separate tabs for replies to your tweets and direct messages sent to you.
You can also enter a new tweet directly into the text box, which has a handy URL button that will insert the URL of whatever page you are currently viewing. You can even decode TinyURL's in TwitterFox, just by hovering over them.
There are a lot of other cool settings in TwitterFox, and you can read more about them by visiting the TwitterFox Homepage.
TwitterBar
TwitterBar was created by Christopher Finke and Tony Farndon. With this add-on, you can send out a tweet directly from your address bar. Once installed, a small gray dot appears on the right hand side of the address bar. Hovering over that dot turns it green and displays the number of characters remaining until the 140 character limit, and clicking the dot posts the contents of your address bar as a tweet. If you don't type a specific tweet and just post your current URL, the tweet will read as "Currently browsing link to whatever site you are on."
TwitterBar is pretty handy, even though it doesn't allow you to actually view incoming tweets without going directly to Twitter.
More info available at the TwitterBar Homepage
TwitKit
TwitKit was created by Hans Engel, and unlike the previous two add-ons, is actually a sidebar (exactly what it sounds like). TwitKit includes multiple color schemes (which is the most important thing for some users). You can post new tweets directly from the side bar, and use several different views (accessible via tabs).
You can visit the TwitKit Homepage to learn more, also check out the TwitKit Wiki link in the top right corner of the homepage to learn more about the specific features.
Note: After installing, activate TwitKit using the following menus:
View>>Sidebar>>TwitKit
or
Tools>>TwitKit>>Open/Close
TwitBin
TwitBin was created by Brian Breslin. TwitBin is another sidebar where you can view and post tweets. In this add-on, you have a Preferences button that allows you to select what you want to see: Public Timeline, Friends (people you are following), Direct Messages and @ replies. One of the cooler features of this add-on is that every tweet is preceded by this: (@ -W). Clicking the @ sets you up for an @reply and the W takes you to that user's website (whatever they entered into their profile.
You can find more about TwitBin at the TwitBin Homepage.
Note: After installing activate TwitBin either by clicking the new TwitBin icon next up by your "Home" button, or by using the following menus:
View>>Sidebar>>TwitBin
Twitzer
Twitzer was created by Mike Cray. Twitzer is a workaround for the 140 character limit, and lets you post tweets as long as you like. Don't worry though, it doesn't disrupt the flow of tweets, because only people interested will actually see the extra stuff.
Here's how it works: Once Twitzer is installed, type out your tweet without worrying about the character limit. Instead of clicking "Update," you right-click the text field and then select "Twitzer Text" from the drop down menu. This will shorten your tweet to under 140 characters and include a link to the full tweet courtesy of ShortText.com. Your followers will need to click this link to view everything you typed, unless they are also a Twitzer user. Whenever you recognize an incoming tweet has been Twitzered (it will have a ShortText.com link) you can right click on the text and select "DeTwitzer Text" to display the full tweet directly on the Twitter page. Twitzer also resolves TinyURL links into their original links.
Check out the Twitzer Homepage for more info.
Note:Twitzer does not work with the other add-ons listed here. If you want to Twitzer, be sure to do it from Twitter.com.
There are a number of other add-ons available, some of which are listed as "Experimental." What this means is that the add-on has not yet been tested enough to be released for public use, and therefore is only intended for advanced users to test. In order to access these, you will need to log into a Firefox Add-Ons Account. Be sure you understand the risks before downloading any add-on, especially an experimental one.
Anyway, back to Twitter...
Here are some of the more popular Firefox add ons for Twitter. You can find them by accessing the following menus within Firefox:
Tools>>Add-ons, once there, you can click the "add-ons" tab and perform a search for Twitter.
Get more out of your twitter experience: play videos and music, see and share photos, search and track, see what's hot on Twitter, find cool people / build your followers, and lots of stuff like Facebook updates, expanded urls, hashtags, peek, and more.
Fleck allows you to interact with pages on the web just as if it were pages in a magazine. You can save your annotated page for yourself, send it to friends or colleagues or use it in your blog.
TwitterFox was created by Kazohu Okui. TwitterFox is a small, unobtrusive add-on (which is the very best kind!) that enables you to not only view incoming tweets, but update your own without actually visiting Twitter.com. Once installed, TwitterFox creates a small Twitter logo in the corner of your status bar (bottom right of the browser). Whenever a new tweet comes in, a small bubble will pop up and display the tweet a few seconds (you can edit the interval on the "Preferences" screen.)
By clicking on the TwitterFox icon, you can review the last 40 tweets you have received plus view separate tabs for replies to your tweets and direct messages sent to you.
You can also enter a new tweet directly into the text box, which has a handy URL button that will insert the URL of whatever page you are currently viewing. You can even decode TinyURL's in TwitterFox, just by hovering over them.
There are a lot of other cool settings in TwitterFox, and you can read more about them by visiting the TwitterFox Homepage.
TwitterBar was created by Christopher Finke and Tony Farndon. With this add-on, you can send out a tweet directly from your address bar. Once installed, a small gray dot appears on the right hand side of the address bar. Hovering over that dot turns it green and displays the number of characters remaining until the 140 character limit, and clicking the dot posts the contents of your address bar as a tweet. If you don't type a specific tweet and just post your current URL, the tweet will read as "Currently browsing link to whatever site you are on."
TwitterBar is pretty handy, even though it doesn't allow you to actually view incoming tweets without going directly to Twitter.
More info available at the TwitterBar Homepage
TwitKit was created by Hans Engel, and unlike the previous two add-ons, is actually a sidebar (exactly what it sounds like). TwitKit includes multiple color schemes (which is the most important thing for some users). You can post new tweets directly from the side bar, and use several different views (accessible via tabs).
You can visit the TwitKit Homepage to learn more, also check out the TwitKit Wiki link in the top right corner of the homepage to learn more about the specific features.
Note: After installing, activate TwitKit using the following menus:
View>>Sidebar>>TwitKit
or
Tools>>TwitKit>>Open/Close
TwitBin was created by Brian Breslin. TwitBin is another sidebar where you can view and post tweets. In this add-on, you have a Preferences button that allows you to select what you want to see: Public Timeline, Friends (people you are following), Direct Messages and @ replies. One of the cooler features of this add-on is that every tweet is preceded by this: (@ -W). Clicking the @ sets you up for an @reply and the W takes you to that user's website (whatever they entered into their profile.
You can find more about TwitBin at the TwitBin Homepage.
Note: After installing activate TwitBin either by clicking the new TwitBin icon next up by your "Home" button, or by using the following menus:
View>>Sidebar>>TwitBin
Twitzer was created by Mike Cray. Twitzer is a workaround for the 140 character limit, and lets you post tweets as long as you like. Don't worry though, it doesn't disrupt the flow of tweets, because only people interested will actually see the extra stuff.
Here's how it works: Once Twitzer is installed, type out your tweet without worrying about the character limit. Instead of clicking "Update," you right-click the text field and then select "Twitzer Text" from the drop down menu. This will shorten your tweet to under 140 characters and include a link to the full tweet courtesy of ShortText.com. Your followers will need to click this link to view everything you typed, unless they are also a Twitzer user. Whenever you recognize an incoming tweet has been Twitzered (it will have a ShortText.com link) you can right click on the text and select "DeTwitzer Text" to display the full tweet directly on the Twitter page. Twitzer also resolves TinyURL links into their original links.
Check out the Twitzer Homepage for more info.
Note:Twitzer does not work with the other add-ons listed here. If you want to Twitzer, be sure to do it from Twitter.com.
Experimental Add-Ons
There are a number of other add-ons available, some of which are listed as "Experimental." What this means is that the add-on has not yet been tested enough to be released for public use, and therefore is only intended for advanced users to test. In order to access these, you will need to log into a Firefox Add-Ons Account. Be sure you understand the risks before downloading any add-on, especially an experimental one.
Desktop Applications
There are a number of desktop applications that you can use with Twitter. Here are a few examples
HummingbirdHere's What The 'Big Boys of Twitter Won't Tell You! What the 'Twitter Elite" Don't Want You To Know,
The Secret To Getting TONS Of Twitter Followers On Auto-Pilot!! Learn How To DOMINATE Twitter Starting Today!!
TwhirlTwhirl was originally created by Marco Kaiser. It was acquired by Seesmic.com in 2008.
Twhirl has a comfortable interface and allows users to view and update tweets, replies, direct messages, followers and a ton more.
TweetDeck
If you like to keep everything in your life super organized, TweetDeck is worth checking out. It allows you to group incoming tweets into different categories, with each category having it's own seperate column. TweetDeck can be a single column or full screen, it's totally up to you.
Twitterrific Twitterrific, from Iconfactory is a Mac/iPhone program that costs $14.95. Its pretty popular (take a look at your incoming tweets and watch how many say "from twitterific." It has a clean interface and a lot of the Twitter functions without the limitations of being on the site.
Snitter is another desktop client. This one will allow you to change the fonts, colors, sizes of your tweets.
TwitterooTwitteroo has a lot of the functionality of the Twitter interface, allowing you to send and receive updates, it refreshes automatically or manually depending on your settings and allows you to view other user's profile pages and personal websites.
Twidget
A Mac dashboard widget that lets you easily keep up with and send out tweets, plus links @replies for easier conversation tracking.
Other Tools
Twitter PatternsColors and designs play an important role in catching the eye of the beholder. Just as we like to decorate our homes and business places, Twitter; our digital home, allows us to decorate and customize the way we view Twitter. There are many colorful and stylish patterns which have been made available to Twitter users. We can even upload images of our own home, as backgrounds.
Just Tweet It
Just Tweet it offers you a wonderful opportunity to add your name, profile and other miscellaneous information about yourself. The profile created is added to a Twitter Directory which enables millions of people to view it, and make friends with others. Whether you are looking for people with similar occupation, religion, nationality, habits and interests, origin, or any thing that comes to your mind, you will not be disappointed.
BubbleTweet
Step Out From Behind Your Twitter Page...And Say “Hello” To Your Followers with a Bubble Video!
Twitterholic
Get a list of the Top Twitter User Rankings and Stats! CNN just beat out Barack Obama in followers this morning! (3/4)
TweeterGetter
What If You Could Press Just One Button & Automatically Start Getting 1000's Of Legitimate New Twitter Followers On Autopilot... Even If Nobody Knows Who You Are Now?
FriendOrFollow
Who are you following that's not following you back? Who's following you that you're not following back? Find out!
Twollow
Auto Follow People on Twitter.
Twollo
Find and follow fellow Twitterers with similar interests to you - automatically!
MyTwitterToolbar
Twittin secrets Twitter Tips Toolbar, free Twitter Toolbar
TwitResponse
Twitter + AutoResponder = TwitResponse! Setup unlimited messages to be delivered to your twitter page when you want. Need a message sent 2 hours from now, no problem, setup a TwitResponse.
TwitTad
Twittad was formed to give Twitter users and advertisers the opportunity to meet for product placement and website promotion on a Twitter user's profile.
TwitPic
Share photos on Twitter. Upload photos to TwitPic and enter a comment. The comment is then tweeted with a link to the photo. You also upload photos from your phone, and through some of twitter apps... visit TwitPic.com to learn more.
TwitWall
TwitWall is pretty much Twitter without the character limit. It has the same interface, every Twitter user can set up a wall using their Twitter ID, and you can post as much as you want, including embedding videos, pictures, music, etc.
TwitterFeed
TwitterFeed allows you to take the RSS feed from your blog and tweet all of your new blog posts
TwitRefresh
TwitRefresh automatically refreshes the Twitter homepage for you every sixty seconds, so if you use the actual web interface, you are kept up to date. Countdown to next refresh will appear at the top of the screen, but other than that it looks just like Twitter.com.
Twitter Timer
Twitter Timer is a simple tool that you can use to set yourself reminders. Simply send a direct message to @timer on Twitter (remember, you have to be following @timer to send a direct message), and it will send you a message back in the amount of time you specify.
TwitSig
TwitSig creates an image file that always displays your current tweet. This image file can then be displayed in forum signatures, blog posts or other places.
TwitterSnooze
TwitterSnooze is a way to temporarily silence the tweets from someone. The system basically un-follows that person for you, and then automatically re-follows them 24 hours later, giving you a break if they had been over-tweeting for some reason.
TweetBurner
Allows you to shorten a url and track how many clicks it receives.
BudURL
Another free url shortening and tracking service, with paid membership options that offer more advanced tracking.
TweetLater
TweetLater is a way to schedule tweets to be posted automatically, for when you are unable to update manually.
Qwitter
You have to admit, it's a cute name. Qwitter will send you an email whenever someone stops following you, and tell you what the last tweet they saw was. This way you know if you are losing followers because you keep bringing up a specific topic.
TweetBeep
Sends you an email notification of every tweet that mentions a specific keyword you want to watch, like your name, company, a friend, whatever.
TwitterGrader
Grades your power on Twitter based on how many followers you have, how many your followers have, how complete your profile is, how often you tweet and some other factors.
GroupTweet
GroupTweet enables you to send tweets to a group of users that won't be public, or viewable by anyone else. This way you can use Twitter to communicate privately with a group without having to send everyone individual direct messages.
Twist
Twist allows you to view a chart of how popular a specific term is on Twitter. The chart shows how many tweets were posted and when. You can even compare multiple terms.
Twittertise
Twittertise is a site that helps you advertise on Twitter. On Twittertise you can schedule tweets in advance, shorted URL's in those tweets and track the clicks that those URL's receive.
TweetReplies
If you tend to receive a lot of @replies, you can use TweetReplies to have your @replies sent directly to your email inbox.
TwitThis
Allows you to place a button on your blog or website making it easier for people to tweet it. When the click on the TwitThis button, a windows pops up, allowing them to log in and then converts your URL to a TinyURL and sends out a tweet. TwitThis also has a WordPress plugin.
TweetStats
This one is cool. It scans all of your activity on Twitter and gives you stats on how often you tweet per month, per day, what time of day you tweet the most, how much you use different interfaces and applications, and shows you what you tweet about the most in a cloud format (click Tweet Cloud at the top of the stats page). It also shows public stats for the entire Twitter community. My Stat is 99%
Share photos on Twitter. Upload photos to TwitPic and enter a comment. The comment is then tweeted with a link to the photo. You also upload photos from your phone, and through some of twitter apps... visit TwitPic.com to learn more.
TwitWall
TwitWall is pretty much Twitter without the character limit. It has the same interface, every Twitter user can set up a wall using their Twitter ID, and you can post as much as you want, including embedding videos, pictures, music, etc.
TwitterFeed
TwitterFeed allows you to take the RSS feed from your blog and tweet all of your new blog posts
TwitRefresh
TwitRefresh automatically refreshes the Twitter homepage for you every sixty seconds, so if you use the actual web interface, you are kept up to date. Countdown to next refresh will appear at the top of the screen, but other than that it looks just like Twitter.com.
Twitter Timer
Twitter Timer is a simple tool that you can use to set yourself reminders. Simply send a direct message to @timer on Twitter (remember, you have to be following @timer to send a direct message), and it will send you a message back in the amount of time you specify.
TwitSig
TwitSig creates an image file that always displays your current tweet. This image file can then be displayed in forum signatures, blog posts or other places.
TwitterSnooze
TwitterSnooze is a way to temporarily silence the tweets from someone. The system basically un-follows that person for you, and then automatically re-follows them 24 hours later, giving you a break if they had been over-tweeting for some reason.
TweetBurner
Allows you to shorten a url and track how many clicks it receives.
BudURL
Another free url shortening and tracking service, with paid membership options that offer more advanced tracking.
TweetLater
TweetLater is a way to schedule tweets to be posted automatically, for when you are unable to update manually.
Qwitter
You have to admit, it's a cute name. Qwitter will send you an email whenever someone stops following you, and tell you what the last tweet they saw was. This way you know if you are losing followers because you keep bringing up a specific topic.
TweetBeep
Sends you an email notification of every tweet that mentions a specific keyword you want to watch, like your name, company, a friend, whatever.
TwitterGrader
Grades your power on Twitter based on how many followers you have, how many your followers have, how complete your profile is, how often you tweet and some other factors.
GroupTweet
GroupTweet enables you to send tweets to a group of users that won't be public, or viewable by anyone else. This way you can use Twitter to communicate privately with a group without having to send everyone individual direct messages.
Twist
Twist allows you to view a chart of how popular a specific term is on Twitter. The chart shows how many tweets were posted and when. You can even compare multiple terms.
Twittertise
Twittertise is a site that helps you advertise on Twitter. On Twittertise you can schedule tweets in advance, shorted URL's in those tweets and track the clicks that those URL's receive.
TweetReplies
If you tend to receive a lot of @replies, you can use TweetReplies to have your @replies sent directly to your email inbox.
TwitThis
Allows you to place a button on your blog or website making it easier for people to tweet it. When the click on the TwitThis button, a windows pops up, allowing them to log in and then converts your URL to a TinyURL and sends out a tweet. TwitThis also has a WordPress plugin.
TweetStats
This one is cool. It scans all of your activity on Twitter and gives you stats on how often you tweet per month, per day, what time of day you tweet the most, how much you use different interfaces and applications, and shows you what you tweet about the most in a cloud format (click Tweet Cloud at the top of the stats page). It also shows public stats for the entire Twitter community. My Stat is 99%
URL Shortening Services
If you are using Twitter to share a website, having a long URL can kill
a Twitter post, so shortening them is a must. Here are some sites that
will shorten your URL's for you so that you can make the most of your
tweets:
TR.IM
TinyURL
Twurl
easyURL
RubyURL
SnipURL
MooURL
LinkCloak
TR.IM
TinyURL
Twurl
easyURL
RubyURL
SnipURL
MooURL
LinkCloak
Now, obviously, this is
not a
complete list... there are a TON of URL shortening
services out there... just do a Google
Search and you'll see what I mean.
Before you go.........
Before you go.........
With so many users,
it
can be hard to find the right people to follow - you might even miss
finding some of your very
own friends on the service, especially if they joined later on, after you did your initial search for friends. To help you out
, we've provided five web apps that can help you locate some of the best people for you to follow on Twitter.
1. Twubble
A new little Twitter app has recently burst onto the scene, and this one, despite its silly name, isn't any trouble at all -
it's actually quite great. The app is called "Twubble" and it's designed to help you find interesting people to follow,
a task it accomplishes by searching your social graph.
Using Twubble is very easy - simply visit the Twubble web site and click "find some friends." If you aren't already
logged into Twitter, you'll need to input your credentials, otherwise, Twubble will just begin fetching a list of friends.
The friends are ranked by how many of your friends are following them, and then, with one click, just as if you were
on Twitter itself, you can follow your newfound friends.
own friends on the service, especially if they joined later on, after you did your initial search for friends. To help you out
, we've provided five web apps that can help you locate some of the best people for you to follow on Twitter.
1. Twubble
A new little Twitter app has recently burst onto the scene, and this one, despite its silly name, isn't any trouble at all -
it's actually quite great. The app is called "Twubble" and it's designed to help you find interesting people to follow,
a task it accomplishes by searching your social graph.
Using Twubble is very easy - simply visit the Twubble web site and click "find some friends." If you aren't already
logged into Twitter, you'll need to input your credentials, otherwise, Twubble will just begin fetching a list of friends.
The friends are ranked by how many of your friends are following them, and then, with one click, just as if you were
on Twitter itself, you can follow your newfound friends.
2. Twitter Local
Twitter Local is a handy service that helps you find people using Twitter in or around a certain area. You can enter a city,
state, or zip, and the range of miles around the area to search, and Twitter Local will display the rests generated as an RSS
or XML feed or you can click to see the latest tweets coming from that area and just subscribe to people from there.
Twitter Local even has an Adobe AIR app available.
Twitter Local is a handy service that helps you find people using Twitter in or around a certain area. You can enter a city,
state, or zip, and the range of miles around the area to search, and Twitter Local will display the rests generated as an RSS
or XML feed or you can click to see the latest tweets coming from that area and just subscribe to people from there.
Twitter Local even has an Adobe AIR app available.
3. TwitterWho
Know your friend's name or email but not their Twitter username? You can enter one or more email address or names into the
search box on TwitterWho, which will then retrieve a list of possible matches, if the name is common, or the link to a person's
Twitter profile if it makes a match by email address. The tool uses Twitter's built-in people search at twitter.com/invitations,
but unlike that form, you can enter in multiple items at a time, one email or name per line, as opposed to having to search out
your friends one-by-one. (Plus, it's not broken, like Twitter search was a few minutes ago).
Know your friend's name or email but not their Twitter username? You can enter one or more email address or names into the
search box on TwitterWho, which will then retrieve a list of possible matches, if the name is common, or the link to a person's
Twitter profile if it makes a match by email address. The tool uses Twitter's built-in people search at twitter.com/invitations,
but unlike that form, you can enter in multiple items at a time, one email or name per line, as opposed to having to search out
your friends one-by-one. (Plus, it's not broken, like Twitter search was a few minutes ago).
4. Twits Like Me
The app called "Twits Like Me" is designed to help you find other Twitter users who share your interests. To use the service, enter
your username in the box provided and click "who is like me?" The service searches for other users who tweet about the same things
you do. Don't forget to check the box to exclude your current friends from the search results if you're using the service to find new people to add.
The app called "Twits Like Me" is designed to help you find other Twitter users who share your interests. To use the service, enter
your username in the box provided and click "who is like me?" The service searches for other users who tweet about the same things
you do. Don't forget to check the box to exclude your current friends from the search results if you're using the service to find new people to add.
5. TwitDir
Now that you've added some friends, how about adding some of the more prolific twitterers? The site TwitDir can help you locate some
of the top Twitterers, in the following categories: the Top 100 Followed (looks like Jason beat Scoble - bribes do work!), the Top 100
updaters, the Top 100 favoriters, and the Top 100 followers. Want to get on one of these lists, the new "tops" section shows you what
numbers you would have to beat to get there.
Now that you've added some friends, how about adding some of the more prolific twitterers? The site TwitDir can help you locate some
of the top Twitterers, in the following categories: the Top 100 Followed (looks like Jason beat Scoble - bribes do work!), the Top 100
updaters, the Top 100 favoriters, and the Top 100 followers. Want to get on one of these lists, the new "tops" section shows you what
numbers you would have to beat to get there.