Software Download vs. No Download
One difference among the various Twitter client and dashboard programs is whether they require a software download and installation on your computer, or if they run through an internet browser and require no downloads. Also, some Twitter client tools allow you to manage other social media networks and services. Increasingly, Twitter is making changes to its site to make it more useful. Still, the Twitter homepage isn’t as powerful as the top independent Twitter clients listed in this article. The Twitter website and app display only one column of tweets, which makes for a slower reading experience. For this reason, many people prefer using an independent Twitter client such as TweetDeck as their main way to view tweets. TweetDeck lets you set up groups of people to follow, and it displays your tweet feeds or streams in rows of columns, so you can view several tweets at once. TweetDeck also lets you save keyword searches and view them in one of many column displays. In the other columns, you can see tweet streams from the groups you set up, tweets containing hashtags you want to follow, and feeds from your other Twitter accounts. TweetDeck requires a free software download. It works with most major mobile phone operating systems, too. Like TweetDeck, Hootsuite displays the tweets you subscribed to in columns or lists for quick viewing. This quick-view function allows you to see several tweet streams at once and interact with them in more powerful ways. As with most Twitter clients or dashboards, you can retweet, reply, direct message, follow, or unfollow from drop-down menus or icons alongside any tweet. One of the best things about Hootsuite is that it can manage more than your Twitter timelines. From the same dashboard window, Hootsuite also manages your feeds and profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks. Hootsuite is a social media client in addition to a Twitter client. Hootsuite’s basic service is free, but it also offers premium monthly subscriptions for those who need to manage more than three social media accounts, or if you need more than one user to manage your social media accounts. On both operating systems, you can choose a light or dark theme and upload media to Twitter. On the macOS, you can customize fonts and view multiple Twitter timelines at once. The mobile version is free, as is the ad-supported desktop software.
