What tools do you use to handle your Twitter activity? This is one of the questions I get asked a lot…
And while I think tools should take the backseat in social media, they are still important in helping you be more productive, engage better, measure and just make your life easier. Besides, let’s be honest, tools are cool.
That’s why I thought of making a little list of 10 of the free tools I use on a daily basis, not just to share with you what I use but for you to participate and make this a useful discussion. So, add your tools in the comments section of this post to share with everybody and maybe learn from others too.
Here they are:
Twitter Client
1. CoTweet
CoTweet has become my Twitter client of preference for the following reasons:
- It’s web-based, I don’t need to be running applications on my desktop.
- You can use Bit.ly for short url’s.
- It has a simple interface with access to everything you need.
- You gotta love how conversations are displayed on the right sidebar.
- And the team collaboration to work under the same account.
2. Threadsy
I know, Threadsy is not known to be a Twitter client, but
- The consolidation of inbound communications makes it easy to work with only one platform open on your browser.
- It’s very easy to quickly respond to @replies.
Mobile
3. HootSuite
HootSuite took a while to go mobile but I think it was worth the wait. I specially love the user-friendly and design driven interface. Give it a try, it offers both free and paid versions.
Search
4. Twazzup
The reason I prefer Twazzup over Twitter Search (which I still use sometimes) for search is the dashboard feel that classifies information into sections. I find the Top Links and Community sections very useful.
Track Reactions And Mentions
5. UberVu
One of my favorite tools, UberVu has been mentioned in this blog before. It is a great application that
- Track reactions for your blog posts even if you didn’t get credit as a source on a tweet.
- Makes it very easy to identify influencers in the way it displays 1st and 2nd level Retweets.
- The reactions provided by the Disqus commenting system are powered by UberVu.
- Let’s you subscribe to a specific blog post and get email alerts.
- Provides you with very useful charts to visualize the life of a post and the distribution in some of the networks.
6. SocialMention
SocialMention is a popular tool to track mentions, not just on Twitter.
- Use it to track mentions of your brand.
- It also includes a quick analysis of the strength, sentiment and other relevant information.
- You can filter the search by social platforms (blogs, microblogs, bookmarks, etc.).
Track Clicks And Retweets
7. Bit.ly
Bit.ly is the only short url I use, some of the reasons:
- You can track links on a short url you have created or that others have created on an aggregate link.
- It counts shares on Facebook.
- Makes it very easy to track performance on a specific link listing the conversations and displaying charts.
- The Bit.ly sidebar is just off the hook, one of the easiest ways to share content without leaving the site.
8. Topsy
The reason I use Topsy to track Retweets is that
- The results are usually different than Tweetmeme, which is already displaying the count on the post.
- It is easier to track them.
Listening
9. Monitter
If you are monitoring your industry, brand or relevant keywords, Monitter is the free tool you need to integrate in your toolbox. Monitor multiple terms at the same time.
Follower/Following Management
10. Tweepi
Tweepi is another tool I have mentioned before in this blog (read: “How To Manage Your Twitter Following And Followers“):
- The spreadsheet feel in how your following/followers is displayed is very useful.
- Great organization of the data and sorting options.
- Making better decisions on who to follow or unfollow.
Your Turn Now…
Share the tools you use as part of your daily Twitter routine in the comments section and compare with others.
Happy Tweeting!
