November 25th, 2008 
Missy Of all the social networks that exist, my fave by far is Twitter. Why? Well because i don’t have to spend my precious time adding dozens of glitter buttons (not that there is anything wrong with that) or filling out numerous quizzes or downloading a million gazillion photos.
I just update and go. Love it. It is a tool on the web like no other. I like to describe Twitter as IM on crack.
With that fine introduction to what Twitter is, below are my top picks for twitter tools you should be using if you’re a blogger.
1. Twitter Feed -This is where the RSS feed function of Twitter comes into play. I cant’ tell you how many times i’ve come across a feed tweet from a blogger that led to some interesting or useful information. Feed tweets get me all the time from a variety of bloggers. Don’t miss out on sharing a great post, use TF.
2. Twirl -This is a neat widget download that allows for the use of Twitter like an instant messenger, as opposed to having a web window open. You can send tweets, receive tweets, fave tweets, share pics, share links, (and my fave feature) you can re-tweet with Twirl. It’s free, easy, and fun. A must if you’re a blogger.
3. Tweet Later – You can do several things with this one. First you can schedule an upcoming Tweet and have it delivered at a predetermined date and time. Second you can auto follow people who follow you. And third you can send a thank you or welcome message to new followers in the form of a DM, automatically via Tweet Later. 3 very cool features. (hat tip to Sly from Slyvisions on this one) UPDATE: I no longer auto follow or send out automatic DM’s. I still think Tweet Later is good for its initial purpose though.
4. Twitter Search -The name says it all. This site allows you to search in real time for whatever topics you want more information on. You type in a search query and it searches all of Twitter for a result. Very addictive.
5. Monitter – I just found this one, but its worthy of mention. It’s like Twitter Search, in that it allows you to search. But it displays three columns worth of tweets, as opposed to one. Great for multi-taskers.
The Famous Follow
Of course one can’t write a post on Twitter, and not ask for the famous follow. So you know what comes next, right? If you’re a blogger and use Twitter, follow me here.
Want More?
Here is a link to a fantastic round up of Twitter tools. It’s a really long list, so go grab a cup of coffee before reading this one.
Not On Twitter, Yet?
If you’re not on Twitter yet and have questions on how to use it, how to add followers, what to tweet about, etc. Grab a copy of my Awesome Twitter Guide, a beginners guide to Twitter.
There are many tools and apps that expand the functionality of Twitter and or just make it more fun. Subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on cool Twitter tools, apps and resources.
SPONSOR: Looking for premium out-of-the-box Wordpress Themes? Try Elegant!
Posted in 
Tags:
Great tools. I am following you now too. Twitterfeed is the best for me. It helps me top drive traffic from twitter.
Hi, Hussein:
I will be sure to follow you as well, if i haven’t already. Twitterfeed is pretty cool, and it does bring in bits of traffic here and there.
Thanxs for the follow.
Missy.
Thanks for the mention Missy! :]
Hi, Sly:
Sure thing. Thanxs for the great tip on Tweet Later. I have started using the “welcome message” feature and it’s pretty cool.
Have a great day !
Cheers,
Missy.
Thanks for sharing these Missy! I’m not too sure about Tweet Later though. I like to keep my twitter personal and I’m not really into welcome messages on my feed… Any thanks for the other tools
Hi, Ben:
Really enjoyed that video on your blog, thanxs for coming by. And glad you liked my Twitter tools post.
Missy.
I am actually already using all of these tools and they are all definitely very useful. I just started using twirl and that is cool for sure. It’s so much easier and more convenient. As you put it makes it so you can use Twitter almost like and IM since you can send a DM from it.
The only tool I use is Twitterfox. Probably, a Magpie could be a nice bonus if you ask me.
Yan
Hi, Gerald:
I’m a big fan of Twirl. At first i thought it was something i would not be able to understand. But it was super duper easy to install and use. I use it daily and it is very cool.
Hey, Yan:
I’ve been hearing about this lately, what is a magpie?
In simplicity, the advertiser uses your tweet to “advertise” based on your recent conversation and you are paid in return.
Yan
Yan:
Ahhh, ok. I went to the site and it doesn’t allow registration. I don’t see the link to register anywhere. Is this a joke or the real deal? Have you used it yet.
Let me know.
Missy.
Yes, Missy…I’ve used it myself…. there is one big button, “SIGN UP NOW” for you to register. It will then tell you how much your earnings potential is based on how many followers you have.
Yan
Thanks for sharing, Missy.
I just started using TWeet Later and love it. I am usually hanging around on Twitter, but just in case I am not, I don’t miss any messages from people I am networking with.
I haven’t tried the rest of the them, but Monitter sounds interesting. I have poked around the site for a moment, but not really got into it yet. I don’t have enough followers and action yet to need a serious upgrade.
It is coming!
Hey, Freddie:
Yeah TweetLater is pretty cool. I didnt know about the extra features like the welcome message, but since hearing about it, i have set it up for new followers.
So far so good.
P.S. I hope you get that 100th follower. LoL.
This is such a useful article! I was thinking about integrating twitter onto the About page of my blog, and I think Twitter Feed will be really useful for that (though I still have to figure out how to get a widget displayed on only one page).
Also, I’m following you on Twitter now.
I might have to start using twitter, I have *worked* with it, but never seriously used it. Most probably because I don’t know anyone using twitter. But! I should start using it and make the most of it.
Once I do, all you bloggers are going to be followed!
Take care
Hi, Diana:
Glad you enjoyed the article. You can integrate Twitter on your About page by adding the HTML code in the post itself. Let me know if you need help with it, I’ll be happy to assist you.
I’m following you on Twitter as well. Nice of you to visit. See you again soon.
Hi, Wynter:
I love Twitter, because it has so many uses. It can used as a chat tool, a promo tool, an RSS tool and so much more. When you do get an account, shoot me a message or follow me. I will gladly ask my Tweeps to follow you.
Thanxs for coming by.
Agree with the notion of simplicity. It’s centered around coversation and information not aesthetics. I’m new to Twitter. Enjoying it so far.
I’m @EWanderlust
Hey, Gennaro: Thanxs for the follow, will add you as well. And yes simplicity is key. I like to keep it as simple as possible, as one can get swamped with all sorts of tools and just end up wasting time figuring them all out.
Simple is a good thing. Thanxs for dropping by. See you on Twitter. I’m there quite abit. (and tweet alot)
i hav used tweetlater but prefer hootsuite ~ works better for me ~ but mostly it is faster (tweetlater was slow for a while and i changed over ~ just haven’t seen any good reason to change back)
I also use wp-to-twitter plugin to have my blogs posted to one of my twitter accounts automatically ~ very cool
Good list
I’d add TweetDeck as well. Multi-columns let you keep up with market-focused searches etc.
There are a lot of tools about how to get more followers in Twitter but what I would love to have first is a good guide of how to monitize those leads. That’s something I haven’t found yet and I would like to know about how to make money with my efforts if I am going to spend time doing it.