Topify: A Better Twitter Notification Email System

topifyTwitter is a great tool, but the fact is, it could be a much better one. Leaving aside the server issues that continue to plague it, there are many features that could benefit from redesign or the introduction of additional functionality. Now there’s a third-party app called Topify that aims to improve one crucial aspect of Twitter: email notifications.

Right now, Twitter notifications are simple and direct. They tell you what’s happened, and they give a link to Twitter’s web-based pages so that you can follow up and act on whatever’s taken place. It’s a decent setup, but it’s time-consuming because if you want to find out more about a new follower or if you want to reply to a direct message, you have to leave your email app and open up your web browser to do so.

picture-2With Topify, all unnecessary steps are removed, and you can do most things right in your email client. Whenever you receive a new follower, for instance, you get an extended profile summary instead of just a Twitter account name, full name and profile link. The profile summary includes the person’s avatar, their follower/following count, including a ratio, and their number of updates. It also provides you with a link to your new follower’s MrTweet profile, if you want to find out even more about them, and a list of their latest updates.

picture-3That’s not where it ends, either. You can also follow back just by replying to the same notification email. Or, if you’re following someone already, replying to a notification email will send a direct message (DM) instead. The same is true for replying to a notification email of a DM sent via Topify.

WWD readers may notice the resemblance between Topify and an app called Twimailer that Eric reviewed last month. Both offer virtually the same features, with the exception that Topify allows you to reply to DMs via email, a feature I think adds a lot of value to this type of service. Also, as of this writing, Twimailer is no longer accepting registrations due to server strain, so if you’re not already signed up, it could be a while before you can.

Topify is currently in closed beta, but they’ve provided us with a link that’s good for 100 invitations, which we’re offering to WWD readers. Once you sign up, all you have to do is use a custom-generated Topify email address in your Twitter account settings, and they’ll take it from there.

Have you used Topify? Does it improve your Twitter experience?

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