Twitter Tools, Part 2: Stay in Touch
One of the main challenges of Twitter is keeping up with a sheer volume of information. I only follow a handful of people (213 as of today), which is not a lot compared to many other Twitterers (or Tweeple?) who may follow thousands and tens of thousands of users.
Even with relatively few people to follow, keeping up with others’ updates can get overwhelming. It’s like being at a party with lots of other people who talk to you non-stop! And many don’t just talk, but keep giving you brochures, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, etc that you simply MUST check out.
So what are the strategies and tools for dealing with this torrent of incoming tweets? The way I see it, there are really only two options. The first one is to limit the number of people you follow. The second one is to set filters on what content you read and reply to.
Option 1 – Small network
The right 15 followers might be much better than 1500 for a small business. – Aliza Sherman (@alizasherman)
Fewer people to follow means you have fewer updates to keep review. It also means you spend more time actually reading others’ updates.
The problem here is that to benefit from this strategy you’ll need to keep your network REALLY small – just a handful of people. This way you will ensure that you get enough time to read all their updates and reply to some.
Option 2 – Filtering
Even after cleaning up the friends list, there will be lots of tweets to keep track of. Fortunately, there are several great tools to keep track of others’ updates.
Direct Messages, @[UserName] links and Search – these are accessible directly from Twitter and allow to quickly review and respond to direct conversations or any mentions of your name.
TweetDeck – a free download that when installed on your desktop will allow you to see direct messages and mentions all on one screen. More importantly, TweetDeck’s Group function will let you follow those you really want to listen to.
TwitterSearch – Search Twitter for specific keywords, get search results feed and add it to your RSS reader(I love Google Reader).
TweetBeep – Keep track of conversations that mention you, your products, your company, anything, with hourly updates! Tracking works even with shortened URLs (i.e. when someone uses TinyURL, Bit.ly or similar services)
Twalala – this service allows you to filter tweets out of your stream by keywords and phrases or mute individuals who get a bit too chatty.
Technorati Tags: Twitter, Twitter tools
Related posts:
Comments
Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!