One of the more interesting “races” within the Twitter ecosystem system has been third-party software clients battling to supplant Twitter.com as the place where Twitters users live and breath.
The two leading contenders are TweetDeck and Twhirl. For anyone who hasn’t used them or people who use them and want some more insight, check out this review by The Inquistr.
I’ve used both TweetDeck and Twhirl for months, and rather than select one or the other, I use both for different reasons to handle different Twitter accounts.
I use TweetDeck for my main Twitter account, @markevans, mostly because I like the multi-pane layout that lets me see my Twitter stream, replies, direct messages, Tweet cloud and searches. As someone who usually has more than 10 Firebox tabs open at the same time, it should be no surprise that I like having multiple views on the Twitter world.
I also like many of the new features that TweetDcck recently unveiled, particularly the “Other Options” feature that opens a menu of other things you can do.
Twhirl comes into play for some other Twitter accounts where I want a clean, simple interface without the bells and whistles of TweetDeck. I like Thwirl because you can use it for multiple accounts, whereas TweetDeck limits you to a single account.
Twhirl lets me quickly go in and out from several Twitter accounts to see what’s happening and, if needed, reply to any messages sent my way.
While people may not need to use both platforms, the bottom line is they’re both good but different.
10 Comments
I am using TweetDeck but there is one problem where it takes up a lot of memory.
Exactly the way I use it too. Tweetdeck for my personal one to get the overall view, twhirl for extra accounts
I used TweetDeck, but I have used both in the past. I just find it very easy to get a big picture of what's going on that way.
FYI – Your twhirl.net link is wrong and sends me to thwirl (h and w are swapped) NoScript REALLY didn't like the target site.
To answer your question. I use Tweetdeck for everything and revert back to Twitter for account management and general follower information… I haven't seen a way to see all of my followers and the complete following list from Tweetdeck.
Ubergeeken
Surprised you missed out Tweetgrid – strong dark horse that's evolving constantly.
I'll have to check it out. Thanks!
It's a good system. Only thing it's really missing is the open Twitter stream feature that Twhirl and Tweetdeck has, but they have said that it's next on the agenda.
I agree…I love the sense of dashboard command experienced when using TweetDeck. Twirl is just a cool tool for quick checks….Tweetdeck enables very rapid response as incoming tweets increase..and segmentation is easier depending on topics. and the flow. Lets keep learning together..thats the key.
Multiple accounts have been really missing from TweetDeck. My frustration lead me to spend a day creating a small utility that lets me switch between multiple TweetDeck profiles (much like Firefox's profile feature). I just shared it on my blog, if you're interested.
Lots of options. Lots and lots of options. I have to say that – while I use Tweetdeck, Twhirl, Power Twitter (in Firefox), and Twitterfox (now Echofon, also a Firefox plugin) – I find myself using SplitTweet (runs in a Web browser) the most. It allows me to view multiple accounts in one column (each with its own color code) and then easily tweet from any one or combination of the accounts.
As these tools mature, I continue my quest for the perfect fit.
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