If you are a Twitter veteran or a novice – you have probably been frustrated by the absence of user management tools within Twitter. Even a mildly enthusiastic Twitterer soon finds themselves wishing they could group users they follow, track clickthroughs, or simply make it easier to track outgoing or incoming messages. HootSuite is a web-based tool that already offered great management tools such as scheduled tweets and multiple profile management. The new HootSuite 2.0 takes Twitter management to a whole new level.
Many Twittizens use desktop apps such as Seesmic or TweetDeck to group their follows and monitor messages. The downside of these apps is that they are desktop-based – so you lose your groups if you are on different computers (unless you want to set them up all over again). Plus, the performance of these apps can be inconsistent at times (especially TweetDeck). Having a web-based solution is obviously the optimal way to manage Twitter, and although the new HootSuite was just released this week, I have found that the interface is intuitive, fast and reliable. You can do all your Twitter reading and tweeting within HS without ever needing to visit the Twitter home page.
So what can you do with HootSuite? The quick list includes features almost any Twitter user would want, plus a few that you never thought you needed, but will become addictive once you start using them!
Manage those you follow into custom groups and tabs – with quick links to send replies and DMs- Monitor DMs and mentions in custom columns
- Easily track custom keyword searches in columns
- Create a custom column – then embed into your website to share with your readers
- Multiple profile support + multiple editors = indispensable if you have a virtual team using Twitter for customer service or brand development
- Post any RSS feed to Twitter – with custom prepends and refresh rates (this is absolutely necessary if you have a blog)
- Stats on clickthroughs. Post exclusively via HootSuite and all your shortened links are tracked. See what interests your followers most.
- Scheduled tweets
HootSuite has this nice overview video to demonstrate the features… check it out!
Also, be sure to follow @HootSuite on Twitter to keep up with the latest updates.
