5 Great Alternatives to the Twitter Interface

I do use Twitter , just not the Twitter site. Sometimes, I use desktop-based applications (TweetDeck and Twihrl are both favorites), and I frequently use the Web to manage my Twitter account. There are a growing number of useful applications for Twittering, and all of them do the job better than the standard Twitter interface.
Here are five ways to tweet that are better than Twitter:

• Tweetree
• tweetvisor
• itweet
• hootsuite
• twitree

now i am discussing all of them.

Tweetree

Tweetree is Twitter for the multimedia lover, though there are a number of nice changes. When you first log in, you’ll see a list of your friends’ tweets, organized by converstation. That means you’ll see the whole conversation, not just the one-sided @ replies. The coolest part of Tweetree, though, is how links are handled- if someone includes a link in their tweet, the link either gets embedded in the page, or at the very least, a link with the name of the page shows up- no more guessing what that TinyURL link is going to take you to.
Tweetree lets you watch YouTube videos, see images,  or use FriendFeed, Seesmic and more all from the Twitter stream. Fewer links to click,fewer new pages, and more multimedia fun in your Twitter world.

Tweetvisor

Tweetvisor is the power Twitterer’s dream. You can manage multiple accounts, get updates about certain topics, put your friends into groups, and a bunch of other features you never knew you needed – but desperately do.
The interface looks more complicated than it is, and the AJAX interface means you don’t ever have to hit refresh. It’s a great way to avoid the overload that can come with tons of Twitter friends and followers, and is the favorite of a number of celebrities and brands.

iTweet

iTweet is another AJAX-filled, fantastically-interfaced way of viewing your Twitter stream. With iTweet you get powerful search, nice integration with TwitPic, and even the option to use your own Twitter settings (color, background and the like), and more.
One feature I think is really cool: by clicking on the picture of someone’s tweet, you open their bio without ever leaving the page. See who’s following them, and easily follow or message new people. It’s great for easily and quickly finding and making new friends on Twitter.

HootSuite

 

HootSuite (once BrightKit) got a number of unique features, which you’ll either love or find totally frivolous. You can manage multiple accounts, logging into one or several at a time. You can schedule your tweets, to go out at a later time (perfect if you schedule your blog posts for after you write them), and even track your links – as long as you use HootSuite’s own owl.ly shortener.
There’s also a bookmarklet, for quickly sharing pages you’re into. You can even add users to your account, if you have more than one person managing your account. HootSuite’s definitely built for businesses looking to manage and track their tweets, and brand themselves with Twitter. It’s great for anyone, though, and is the one I’ve started using the most.

Twitree

Twitree’s a little different from the others- it’s not as into showing your tweets as it is showing your tweeps (that’s Twitter people). When you log in, you get a tree showing you all of the people you’re following on Twitter, showing their most recent tweet. Click on the plus sign next to any given person, and it opens up a similar list- that person’s friends, with their most recent tweets.
Twitree is perfect for finding new friends on Twitter by searching the friends of people you already know and trust. You can update your own Twitter status with Twitree, but it’s definite goal is to find you some new tweeps.

Final Thoughts

The normal Twitter interface is fine, but there are many better options. Using these and others, you’ll have a better, easier, more productive Twitter experience.