Holy Crap! Another App?

As 2010 wraps up and we get ready to head into another year full of unknown yet hopefully exciting adventures I thought I would take the opportunity to reflect back on my social networking learning curve of 2009.  At the beginning of the year, I started keeping a tally of all the Twitter apps that were available to help manage the sometimes overwhelming demands of the Twittersphere.  We’re still not sure if it’s going to be worthwhile in the long run but if you’re not Tweeting you’re missing the boat…maybe.  I keep trying to find the best measurement tool and tracking metrics and voraciously read about other people’s and companies’ experiences.  It really depends on what you’re hoping to accomplish but there’s rarely any time to step back and take a breath.

Anyways, I also wrote a couple articles and blogs about different apps I had found and was using but then as they kept coming at me thick and fast and I would find ones that were better or as I used a particular app more I realized its shortcomings and started searching for the ever-elusive all-in-one answer (i.e. Tweetdeck vs. Socialoomph – started with Socialoomph but now I use Tweetdeck more regularly).  Of course, we’re all looking for the freebees too (especially for us solo-preneurs and small business owners).  I stopped writing about any particular app for a while because I thought people might think I was wishy-washy or schizophrenic.  Now I realize it’s the race-to-create-the-best-app syndrome that’s actually the problem.  Developers have to rush to get theirs out because there’s bound to be 100 more just like it ready to compete.  First out is typically most used (generally speaking).

So, my New Year’s resolutions (that I promise to keep) are to: keep Tweeting, keep following, keep reading, keep testing, keep measuring and keep writing about my experiences (because we all learn from each other). 

Here’s a short-list of the apps I’ve gathered in 2010 (some I’ve tried and some I haven’t had a chance to yet), in alphabetical order because I couldn’t think of an easier way to categorize them.  Just pick one and give it a whirl!!!

Addictomatic – create your own tracking page with the latest on your chosen topics

Followerhub  - find friends and followers

FriendFeed – customized feed of your friends and collaborators

FutureTweets – schedule Tweets

hashtags.org – search top hashtags (to have your hashtag tracked you must follow)

Justunfollow

Klout – identify influencers on Twitter

LaterBro – schedule Tweets

Manageflitter – a quick and easy unfollow tool

Mashable – the latest and greatest news and tips on social media (more a great resource than an app)

Monitter -  target specific geographic areas for searches

MrTweet -  recommend someone

MyTweetSpace – for fresh backgrounds or Twitbacks

Pu.ly – notifies you by email when you have an @reply or mention

Search.twitter - real time search for subjects being tweeted about

Seesmic – manage multiple Twitter accounts and Facebook feeds

SocialOomph – social media management tool

Twaitter – manage multiple accounts, archive, back-up and schedule Tweets

Twazzup.com – managing real time news feeds

TweetAdder – run multiple profiles

TweetAlarm – keyword notification service

Tweetbeeps – track what’s being said about you and/or your company

TweetBlocker – minimize SPAM

Tweetchat – choose hashtags to follow, converse in real-time

TweetDeck – monitor and manage multiple social media accounts

Tweepi – find and follow people

Tweetsqueus – schedule tweets

Twhirl – social media management

Twilert – key word alerts, social media monitoring

Twitpic – share photos

Twitstra – see who’s tweeting about you – will send you any @ messages about you

Twittercounter – shows followers from your website

TwitterGrader - will rank you on how you are doing with your updates and content (taking into account for example the number of RTs you give and receive)

Twitterkarma - dossy.org/twitter/karma – check to see who is following you back

TwitterSearch (like Google) – search Twitter conversations in real time

Twittersphere – search the most talked about stories

Twittertracker.com – monitoring tool

Twuffer – schedule tweets

Ubertwitter

Untweeps – unfollow Twitter users who don’t Tweet

Ugotwit – sends you a message if your twitter handle has been tweeted

We Follow – find Twitterers to follow