Obviously different applications have different features and capabilities, but, as a die-hard Twitter website user, I was surprised by the difference in focus between these tools. Just as I expect that the tool you use likely reflects your own approach to Twitter, I began to wonder if the tools we use also shape our expectations of how we can use the service.

Is Your Twitter App Shaping Your Social Media Presence?

Between the Twitter website, Tweetie and TweetDeck, there are some pretty major differences. I can’t easily access @ replies made to you on the website; I can’t easily access my follower list on either Tweetie or TweetDeck; I can’t schedule tweets on the site or in Tweetie; I still haven’t worked out how to search in TweetDeck.

Leaving aside the usability of these services (I only worked out how to access a user’s @ replies through trial and error on Tweetie, and there was no feedback to indicate what the app was showing at the time), it’s clear that each of these tools focuses on different aspects of social networking.

The question is: is your chosen tool impacting your social media presence?

You or Them?

Does the tool you’re using focus on you, or on other people? When I attract new followers, I like to check out their profiles, so that I know roughly who I’m talking to. I also like to check out the followers of certain contacts occasionally, to see if I’d like to follow any of them. To do that, I access the list of people I follow, and my friends’ followers — something that’s not as easy to do using either Tweetie or TweetDeck as it is on the website.

Spontaneous or Planned?

Does your Twitter application let you schedule tweets? How usable is the mobile app? For those using Twitter for business, the answers to these questions may drive adoption of a particular tool; those using it purely for fun may well get more out of — and give more to — the experience if it meets our needs on the go as well as when we’re desk-bound.

Broadcast or Consume?

If you simply use Twitter to broadcast your news and views, you probably don’t care whether or not your chosen tool gives you the ability to search for topics or contacts. For me, being unable to search Twitter easily means I’m restricted to relying on my contacts to discuss the topics I’m interested in, or I’m trying to research. In effect, it reduces my independence. Does your Twitter tool let you search easily?

Control or Acceptance?

Tools like TweetDeck offer pretty deep levels of control: not only can you schedule tweets, but you can filter out tweets from your contacts on the basis of content, customize the interface, and keep a very close eye on the responses and retweets your tweets attract. Other tools leave you more at the mercy of your memory and motivation. Customization promotes engagement and ownership, but it also lets you shape the way you use the service to meet your specific desires — provided that’s what you’re after.

Digest or Engage?

All three tools I looked at provided fairly easy access to my @ replies, but the at-a-glace, no-click default view of replies, retweets and direct messages in the TweetDeck interface puts a clear focus on engagement. Tweetie and the Twitter website don’t exactly hide this functionality, but it’s not included in the same view as tweets from the people you follow. With those tools, reading and responding to people you follow is easy; responding to those you don’t follow is more of a challenge.

It may seem like I’m splitting hairs — what does it matter if I have to click a link to see @ replies my contacts have made to me? — but we all know that those clicks add up through the day if you’re particularly interested in that feature. Looking at the default view of any tool is a good way to get an idea of its focus, but if you’re into control, check for customizations, too.

Do you think the Twitter tool you use is affecting the way you engage with the social network?

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I have always wanted to post my Twitter photos to an existing, richer photo sharing site: Flickr. Recently, I’ve been trying out Steven Haddox‘s Flickr4Twitter, a service that does just that — and should be useful for budding photojournalists, nano-bloggers and celebrity spotters with

Currently in a public alpha-testing phase, the service allows Twitter clients to simultaneously post photos to a user’s Twitterstream and Flickr account, along with URLs generated by Flickr’s own recently-launched Short URLs service.

Using the service is simple:

1. Create an account using the Sign In With Twitter option; your username will be your Twitter screenname.
2. Authorize Flickr to use the service.
3. Upload your photos using the web upload interface (kinda clunky) or Tweetie. Users of Tweetie 2 on iPhone can configure their client with a “URL Shortening API Endpoint” that sends photos to Flickr rather than Twitpic.
4. That’s it!

The service works invisibly and seamlessly when using Tweetie 2 (see my samples) and means that my mobile photos are instantly shared with my Twitter followers, and are also available on the world’s favorite photo sharing service.

Head on over to Flickr4Twitter to try the service. Incidentally GDZLLA have also launched a competing service, but without Sign In With Twitter capability.

What do you think of this Twitpic alternative?

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But why not buy an iPhone, or a Palm Pre, which I’d had my eye on for several months? The Pre seems to be a good phone, but it doesn’t yet have the apps that the iPhone does. And the monthly fees for Pre service are considerably higher than what I’m paying now. The iPhone’s monthly fees are even higher, and many folks I’ve talked to don’t find it to be a very good phone.

So, keeping my current phone and buying an iPod touch seemed like a good compromise. I can get good Wi-Fi coverage in most areas where I live, so I’ll be able to go online, even without the phone function.

Many of my WWD colleagues already have iPhones. Aliza has recently written about good apps for web workers. Dawn’s shared her favorites, too. But with the holidays coming up, here are some of my ideas for apps to put on that brand-new iPhone or iPod touch:

Communication

• eBuddy. A multi-service instant message client for MSN/Windows Live, AIM, Yahoo, Gtalk, ICQ, Facebook Chat and MySpace Chat. Supports multiple accounts on the same service. Versions for web, Android and other platforms also available. Free.
• Facebook. A well-designed way for Facebook users to keep up with their friends while on the road. The app has had its issues, but they are apparently fixed now. Free.
• Gist. Scott and I have both found Gist useful, and the Gist iPhone app does a pretty good job of presenting a lot of information in a small space. Free.
• LinkedIn. This app keeps LinkedIn users, er, “linked in” from their iPhones and iPod touches. The latest upgrade adds some nice features, including an inbox for LinkedIn messages. Free.
• Nimbuzz. You can use this app to make inexpensive international calls over Wi-Fi. The app also includes a chat function, but it’s pretty rudimentary compared to eBuddy. Free app; rates for calls vary.
• RingCentral. If you’re a RingCentral user, you can use this app to manage your phone messages and more. Free for RingCentral users.
• Tweetie. There are lots of Twitter apps, but so far, I like Tweetie the best. It has a clean interface, and supports multiple Twitter accounts. Thanks for the tip, Darrell! $2.99.
• Waveboard. Mobile access to Google Wave. Will hopes for better access soon; I imagine that this app will become more sophisticated as Wave does. $0.99.

File and Idea Management

• Dropbox. This app is another reason to love Dropbox, which many of us at WWD do. As one would expect from Dropbox, it just works. Free.
• Evernote. My colleagues at WWD like Evernote, too, and I’ve finally seen the light. It’s a great replacement for PhatNotes, which I used to use with various Palm products. (The Palm versions are apparently no longer available.) Free.

News

• Reeder. A very nice and elegant RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader. $0.99.

Just about every news source also has its own iPhone/iPod touch app these days. So far, I’ve been impressed with the ones from NPR and from some news outlets that have used the PodCurry platform.

Password Management

• 1Password. Manage and sync passwords. I’ve been playing with the brand-new version 3, and it’s good enough that I’ve moved from SplashID after many years. Use Dropbox with 1Password to make your password data available on multiple machines. $7.99.
• LastPass. Manage and sync passwords across multiple machines. The Firefox add-on for this service was included in WWD’s Add-Ons Collection. Apps for iPhones and other mobile devices available with premium membership, $12/year.

I’ve barely begun finding fun stuff, but I think I’m off to a good start with the Google Earth app, and TriPeaks Lite. I’m sure that I’ll find more, but I really need to get back to work now. Happy holidays!

What iPhone or iPod touch apps would you recommend for new users?

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So how do you keep from “wasting” time on Twitter? Here’s my advice on how to spend no more than 15 minutes a day on your Twitter account but still reap the rewards, particularly for your work. This is not a good tactic for everyone, but if you or someone you know is very resistant to Twitter and simply needs a manageable plan for tweeting, you can try this at work or home.

First, determine how you’ll most likely access Twitter and interact with others. If you’re old school (like me) and want a large, straightforward interface, use Twitter.com. If you don’t mind downloading, installing and configuring applications on your computer, go for a tool like Tweetdeck or Seesmic Desktop. If you’re always on the go and love typing on your mobile device, try something like Tweetie for the iPhone or TwitterBerry for the BlackBerry.

Now here’s how to spend your time efficiently and effectively on Twitter:

5 Minutes: Listen, Retweet
Start by “listening” on Twitter to get a sense of what people you’re following are talking about. Scroll down a page or two’s worth of tweets and skim until you see the ones that grab you. Then retweet them by copying their tweet being careful to give them credit. The tweet could be a compelling quote, a useful tip, or a link to a relevant blog post or article.

There are two “accepted” forms of retweeting, and they both seem to be used almost equally. You can put RT in front of the tweet you’ve copied and cite the originator of the tweet like this:

“RT @kellyecrane Great idea: PR consultants, let’s use the #soloprpro hashtag to share information! http://bit.ly/3wkIZu”

or you can credit them at the end of the tweet like this:

“PR consultants, let’s use the #soloprpro hashtag to share information! http://bit.ly/3wkIZu (via @kellyecrane)”

Personally, I much prefer the RT in front because of too many situations where people misread a retweet as a tweet from a person and confusion ensues. For example, one woman retweeted another who said her daughter was in the hospital and was suddenly barraged with messages ranging from “our prayers are with you” to “I didn’t know you had a daughter.”

Retweeting is a way of not only passing along valuable information but also giving kudos to the person tweeting — both great ways of building your following and strengthening Twitter relationships.

5 Minutes: Listen, Respond
Next, listen to see who is speaking about something of interest to you or something you can respond to authoritatively. You should also check who has mentioned you or addressed you in their tweets in your client or by searching for @yourtwittername.

If you find someone tweeting something to you directly, a response is usually expected so reply to them either publicly using @ and their Twitter name, or privately using a direct message (or DM) if you are “friends” with them (meaning you follow them and they follow you back). If you don’t personally know the Twitterer, but you are following them and want to respond to something they’ve said, you can still @ them. While it is perfectly acceptable to @ strangers, be thoughtful about how you address or respond to someone you don’t know.

Here’s an example of a tweet and a response.

“@alizasherman Most of the Seattle neighborhoods have a Twitter account for the neighborhood blog (e.g., @wallyhood for wallyhood.org)”

“@pathable Oh, totally cool. Seattle is so on it! @wallyhood for wallyhood.org? Thanks for the tip.”

5 Minutes: Promote, with Care
Let’s face it — many of us are using Twitter to promote who we are, what we’re doing, and even what we’re selling. There is nothing wrong with promotion on Twitter, but do it with context — think about how the information fits into your Twitter persona.

If you’re known as an SEO expert, you can promote your blog posts about search engine optimization. If you’re a finance expert, tweet regular personal finance tips with a link to articles you’ve written. If you’re a marketing expert, go ahead and tweet a link to your helpful marketing podcast each week. If your retail store is having a sale, that could be tweet-worthy to your followers.

Keep in mind that often the most effective self-promotion can happen when you promote others. As you promote your own articles, blog posts, products, etc., don’t hesitate to mention others that you’ve found worthy of promoting. By sharing the spotlight, you generate good will while still demonstrating your expertise.

After 15 minutes, walk away from the computer or shut down your Twitter application. Keeping your Twitter time under control doesn’t only mean having a plan. You have to exercise some self-discipline as well.

How do you keep your Twitter usage under control?

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Things started off well, since Tweetie offers a full-featured, ad-supported free version in addition to a $19.95 (currently on sale for $14.95) ad-free version. I can live with one ad per hour in my tweet stream in exchange for a great free program. Heck, half of the tweets of those I’m following are probably ads anyway.

Let me just say right away that Tweetie’s interface is gorgeous. It looks and feels like a Mac app, and it has a commitment to minimalist design that I very much appreciate. If you’re looking for desktop eye candy, Tweetie is definitely your client. I especially like the scrollbar and the way it handles multiple accounts in the left-hand sidebar. There are lots of other advantages as well:

Global Shortcut for New Tweet

Another big plus is the ability to set a global shortcut for composing new tweets. My MacBook is now set to open the composer whenever I press Shift+Command+T, which helps me get tweets out much faster than with any other program.

Easy Image/Link Sharing

I also love that you can drag image files to the composer window and Tweetie will automatically generate yFrog, TwitPic, Twitgoo or Posterous links for it. You can also set your URL truncation service, with the ability to choose from five different providers.

Threaded Conversations

Quick and easy access to threaded conversations, both public and DMs, is another nice feature. Clicking on an @reply will show you that public conversation thread, in the same window and without any other tweets. DM conversations look like iChat sessions. I appreciate the visual distinction between the two because it helps me know what kind of conversation I’m viewing at a glance.

Despite these and other things to its credit, Tweetie just doesn’t have what it takes to replace Nambu as my primary Twitter client from a web working perspective. The reasons are many, and though some might seem minor, taken together they draw a clear distinction between the two apps:

No User Groups

Tweetie 1.0 doesn’t support custom user groups, which is a must for a Twitter client if you’re following more than 100 people, especially if a fair number of those people tweet with any kind of frequency. Without dedicated user groups, you’ll miss out on important stories and links, and you’ll have a much harder time compartmentalizing your Twitter usage.

No Copying Text from Tweets

This might only be handy if you’re a blogger or writer looking to collect quotes from Twitter, but I’m sure there are other reasons a professional might want to do this. Having a built-in retweet button is great, but I want to be able to select text from directly within my Twitter-stream and copy that so that I can save it to another source. Ironically, I realized I was missing this feature while preparing to write this article.

No Column View

One thing that I got used to when using TweetDeck, and was pleased to find Nambu also maintained, was a column view option that let me organize different types of filtered tweets next to each other in the same window. Sure, with Tweetie, you can view searches (though not @replies, unless you search for your own @replies) in a new window, but it lacks the clean organization of a multi-column setup.

So what do I really think of Tweetie, in the end? The design snob in me wants to love it, declare my devotion to it, and never look at another Twitter client ever again, but the pragmatic web worker in me can’t justify using it for more than casual purposes. If you’re only following a few people, and you use Twitter for personal rather than professional purposes, then by all means, get Tweetie. But if, like me, you care more about what’s under the hood than the bodywork, stick with Nambu for now.

Have you tried Tweetie? What did you think?

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