Hoosier Tech Support

We here at #Hoosier_Tech took the time to compare 3 of the best Twitter clients out there.   This article compares #TweetDeck , #Hootsuite , and #Seesmic desktop.  Our primary focus is for the small business or entrepreneur.  But we are big believers in “common sense” ease of use.  Scroll to the bottom to reveal our pick just under this list of pros and cons.

TweetDeck

Pros

• The interface.  All around this was our favorite one.  It is simple and does exactly what you would expect.
• TweetDeck’s notifications are second to none.  If you like notifications in the lower right hand corner, this may be the app for you.   The amount of customization here is excellent (and is very simple to configure)  
• #Bitly support.  While Seesmic offers many “shorteners”,  TweetDeck just makes it “easy”   If you want to track who reads and clicks your posts, bit.ly is for you.
• The iPhone app.  This one is the best of all of them.  It has that feel.  It sleek, simple, and “pretty”

Cons

• Our “shame on you” list for TweetDeck is short but important.  Facebook pages.  Posting but no column support.  That’s just painful.

HootSuite

Pros

• The ability to “share” your HootSuite account allows other in your company to publish for you.  This is GREAT!
• Schedule tweets to publish at a future date and time.
• Pull your RSS feeds (your blog) into Twitter/Facebook automatically.  You can schedule this to check periodically.
• We like how easy it is to make the code so you can put your tweets on your website.
• Stats via owl.ly are pretty cool.  To us, this was simple (which we love) but wasn’t quite the bit.ly (we love a bit more)

Cons

• This is a purely browser based.  While we know some people like this, we just don’t think this is the best route for someone who may be spending 2-8 hours a day flipping between tabs and windows.
• $$$ – A cost for the iPhone app?  Boo.  After all the other ad generated revenue you have.  Thumbs down, sorry.  (TweetDeck is sleek, and free)

Seesmic Desktop

Pros

• Facebook AND Facebook fan pages done right.  Perhaps the first of the three in this review, and certainly the best.
• Multi accounts into a single column.  If you need a single column view of ALL your accounts, this tool can do it.  Flexibility is key here!

Cons

• While our geeks like the interface, it was a bit too “geeky” for some of our users.   Its not as intuitive as some of the competition. 
• Notifications.  A pop-up that says I have a new tweet, without offering more detail?  Don’t tell us there is a needle in the haystack.
• And alas,  the mobile client?  Seesmic has a great following.  Some of them are mobile, and have cell phones.  :)

The Reveal

TweetDeck is our winner.  For simplicity, features, and all around use.  If you are knee deep in #socialmedia, have Facebook fan pages, or multiple twitter accounts, we recommend you use TweetDeck.  Honorable mention goes to Hootsuite.  They have some features that really made us a bit jealous (hint hint)

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