Why Do I Love TweetDeck?

I have been introduced to TweetDeck this week for the first time. I am a bit of a stick in the mud to be truthful, and I don’t exactly jump all over stuff like this without a bit of encouragement first.

But despite the fact I only have the one Twitter account (people with more than one seem to swear by TweetDeck), I have found it to be indispensable in the three or four days that I’ve been using it. I can personalise it for one thing – it doesn’t just come as a ‘take it or leave it’ design. I’ve got my regular stream of tweets on the left, replies mentioning my Twitter username in the middle, and direct messages on the right.

Needless to say I’m still getting the hang of all the features it offers, but there are a couple that I particularly like. First of all it is easy to find out more about people who are recommended by others on the site. Just click on their username and you will see their profile and details – along with a list of their tweets – on the right hand side. And yes, you’ll see a little ‘follow’ button there too, so you can start following them there and then without having to go into the actual Twitter website to do so.

But there has been another remarkable offshoot of my using TweetDeck that I am truly grateful for. I wasn’t expecting it, but it has led to me getting more followers myself as well as enjoying Twitter even more, so it has been wonderful on all counts.

This is the fact that I have been interacting with other users a lot more. Now I don’t know why this should be – after all, it’s easy enough to reply to other users direct from your Twitter page online, isn’t it?

But you know, I think it’s because you can see any replies directed at you right there on the same screen as all the other data you have. On Twitter you have to remember to take a look at the replies tab, and it’s easy to forget. When I look at the tweets I sent before installing TweetDeck, compared with the ones I have sent since I started using it, there is no competition. I have sent significantly more replies to other people and struck up many more conversations as a result.

That is the real winner for me. After all, Twitter is all about getting connected and chatting with people online. And since TweetDeck makes that much easier, there is every chance for you to get more out of the social media site by using this software as well.

No doubt I will have more experiences to share in the coming weeks as I get used to its other features, but suffice to say I am impressed!