How Do You Tweet? 4 Twitter Applications You Might Want To Try

With so many desktop applications out there for twitter so that I can feed my habit,I wanted to enable you review my top 4. I have used many, these stand out. I am still on the search for the perfect solution...and I like to play with tech. So, here goes:

Power Twitter:

Power Twitter is an add-on for Firefox. I used to use this, and it is quite good. It augments the twitter web page, so you actually access twitter through the web page. But some of the things that Power Twitter allows you to do:

• see links as actual names of links, huge plus because of the twitter vulnerabilities that were exploited a few months ago.
• has embedded media, both pictures and video..no need to click the links to see it, it shows up in your stream
• does not have search
• does not have groups or columns, it is straight twitter web interface
• mouseover avatars for recent tweets

I like Power Twitter, and is is a good choice if your followers are quite manageable. But I found that I needed something that allowed me to organize a bit better. So I switched to TweetDeck.

TweetDeck:

• Is a stand-alone application based upon Adobe Air that you download and use on your desktop
allows groups and columns according to how you set them up. You can have groups of friends, business, people who make you laugh..use your imagination
• allows searches to be incorporated into columns, so you can follow a topic site-wide, regardless of whether you follow the person. It updates automatically, just as your regular stream
• allows you to do everything with a follower simply by scrolling over the avatar. Reply, DM, Retweet, add to group, delete a tweet, everything can be done by mouseover. This, in my opinion, is the best feature of TweetDeck. Fast, and easy.
• Allows easy color change from Settings if you don't like black background and white type. I do not.
• reply window is right at the top, where you would naturally put your mouse
• allows adding Facebook to your columns to check friends' status at a glance (does not include messages or comments on the pages)
• only allows 10 columns, so you may run out of room if you have a lot of separate groups. I have over 3,000 friends 4 groups and a permanent search, and still have columns left, however
• Does NOT show link names, a weakness in my opinion
• does not have embedded media, again, a weakness

I was satisfied with TweetDeck, but some others were talking about Destroy Twitter. Faithful in relationships, I let my fickleness surface when it comes to tech toys. So I tried it.

Destroy Twitter:

• another stand-alone app with Adobe Air downloaded for desktop
• allows you to adjust the size by choosing regular or expanded view
• does not allow stretching of window, or a horizontal scroll bar, instead you must tab to see other columns, which I find cumbersome
• not as easy as TweetDeck to see search, you cannot have all columns showing at the same time
• colors are not as easy to change, but the Theme Builder at the site is extensive and allows you to upload your theme, and change them with ease. Once you realize where it is. Similar to Google themes
• allows exclusion of terms as well as global search
• has a beautiful user interface, artsy and well-thought out.
• supports, choice of is.gd, bit.ly, digg and migre.me, for links; for pictures: Twitgoo, TweetPhoto, TwitPic, Posterous, Mobypicture and img.ly
• I do miss the placement of the tweets window..in TweetDeck it is at the top, in Destroy Twitter it is in the left hand corner.
• also miss the ease of replies, DMs and all operations through mouseover on avatars like in TweetDeck
• does not convert URLs to names
• does not show media in the stream, still have to click on links in order to see pictures or video

Not able to leave well enough alone, I heard that Seesmic had an update, so I had to check that one out, too. DId I mention I am fickle?

Seesmic:

• also a downloadable desktop client application
• only one color option that I can see, but it is readable, gray background with light blue. Still, if you don't like blue, you may not enjoy the user interface..I found the colors uninspiring
• allows creation of groups, I am told an unlimited amount
• URL, image and shrink text (shorten URLS) buttons at the top, under the reply window
• support for multiple accounts (yay!) at the same time. This is huge!
• Facebook support
• can stretch window to the size you want
• has referenced tweets, underneath it mentions who the reply was to
• each column is a different color; in the future, being able to choose your own colors would be handy
• media also not shown in stream, must click on URLs to see it
• has the icons on the avatar, like TweetDeck. Love this feature, it is intuitive
• can drag columns into the order you want them. Also a great feature
• search is very easy, with a text box at the top right
• easy to add search columns, also
• cuuute (via my son) raccoon icon

Since I am reviewing these apps and I actually use them, let me tell you what I want (what I really, really want) If you wanna be my lover want me to LOVE your twitter client:

• Give me the look of Destroy Twitter, customizable themes
• URL names and media incorporated directly into my stream, a la Power Twitter
• searchable and columns, like TweetDeck, but make the column number unlimited or at least more than TEN
• multiple accounts supported, like Seesmic
• other social media platforms supported, digg, Jaiku, Pownce, Identi.ca, and RSS, to name a few, like gwibber (which is not available unless you do Linux, but has the right ideas, anyway)

So there you have it..my take on the desktop twitter applications I have tried. What did I miss? Which one do you just get excited over??

T, who is waiting for that great app, get with it, developers!

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