Chloregy

I have found that either people are totally into Twitter or not. It seems to be like Marmite here in the UK.

You either love it or you hate it.

Well I guess without saying if you looked around my blog that I am a big fan of Twitter. And please don’t ask my wife about Twitter. Lets put it that way….. She is not the biggest fan.

Today’s post is about the different ways how to use Twitter and some links to give you a head start in using Twitter the way it can be utilized to connect you to thousands of like-minded people out there.



How to use Twitter

You really only have two options on how to practically use Twitter:

The Web Interface – Using an internet browser is one and in my opinion also the most convenient version of using Twitter. Especially when you are starting out. You simply go to the website and then update your status or share a link with everyone.

The Desktop Application - This is the alternative to using the the web interface. Desktop applications emerged following the success of Twitter globally and the possibility for web developers to use the Twitter API to integrate Twitter into programs that can interact with the Twitter website and where you can start Twitter from your desktop provided you have a working Internet connection.

Twitter and your Twitter updates will then run in the background if you have your application open. This is mostly something for the more advanced Twitter user I believe. It will save a lot of time by not using a browser and having the ability to customize your desktop application to your needs. All in all very useful.

1) Using Twitter via a web interface

The Twitter Website – The Twitter website is getting more and more features that previously only other Twitter web interfaces had. These include the possibility to Retweet an update from a person, viewing predefined Twitter searches, etc.. This is the easiest way to use Twitter but I would advice anyone to try out other web interfaces or go with a desktop application for now. Maybe in 6 months this Twitter web interface will be as good as other web interfaces.

Brizzly – Brizzly is a rather new but very useful web interface for Twitter. I am using it at the moment and I am really enjoying it. A lot of interesting features and an attractive and user friendly user interface. All in all a very good use of space in my opinion.

Hootsuite – The other useful web interface is Hootsuite. Hootsuite is a very useful tool with the benefit of stats. Personally I am not the biggest fan but it still is the second best web interface out there at the moment.

There are a lot more of web interfaces out there but I would advice you to choose between these two. The functionality is similar and it just really depends on your personal taste.



2) Using Twitter via a Desktop Applications

Here the choice of the top two desktop applications is quite an easy one. Tweetdeck and Seesmic are the most popular ones.

Tweetdeck – Tweetdeck has it all really if you looking for a more sophisticated and comprehensive Twitter experience. The design is something to debate on but its functions are numerous. My only advice is that if you are oaky with installing a program on your computer to make more use of Twitter then go with Tweetdeck.

Seesmic – Seesmic is a very similar to Tweetdeck but the layout and design is very different. The people I have asked that like Tweetdeck do not like Seesmic and the other way around. In any case, you can not go wrong with Seesmic either.

Using Twitter can really improve your communication in no matter what business you are in. It can also be a great tool to connect with your friends and family. These web interfaces and desktop clients can help you manage this the best way possible.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Fabianpattberg/~3/AaRuFKrqrrk/