by Sean Devlin, Front Rush – Product Development Director
With all of the hype around Twitter and the new NCAA ruling for Divisions I and II, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about how coaches can transition to Twitter life a little easier and what tools are out there to improve your experience.
Let’s say that you have gone through the steps of setting up your Twitter account (www.twitter.com), and you customized the layout to reflect your team. The question is, “How does one actually post a ‘tweet’?” To help you do this, here’s an overview of some of the Twitter ‘stuff’ available to you:
On Your Computer
Twitter.com
This is the standard Twitter site. You can go to Twitter.com, login, post your tweet, and move on. This is the simplest way to post your messages whenever you are around your computer.
Tweetdeck
There are a number of applications that you can download to your computer that make twittering a little bit more robust as well as easier to aggregate your Twitter data. Tweetdeck is one that we use quite a bit here at Front Rush because it lets you organize all of the people that you are following in a nice layout as well as in groups. This application is built for the power users who constantly need to be in touch with their followers as well as with the people they are following on Twitter. You can get tweetdeck, free of charge, by going to http://www.tweetdeck.com
On Your Mobile Device
Twitterberry (Blackberry Users)
Twitterberry is an app that you can download directly to your blackberry. It will give you access to your Twitter account without having to go through the long process of signing onto the internet, logging onto twitter, posting your message, etc. Instead, once you download this app, you add your username and password (just the first time you login) and, you are a button push away as twitterberry now exists on your Blackberry. If you want to post a tweet on the go, you just need one click on the app and the twitterverse is right in front of you. You can get this by going to http://orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/changelog.php
Twitterrific (Iphone Users)
Twitterrific is one of two Iphone apps that has really stood out when posting to Twitter. It’s easy to use, easy to post tweets, and easy to manage your Twitter life. You simply download the app from the app store and login. Immediately, you are set to jet. The only downside is that the free version is ad supported. As a result, every hour or so, you will get an add at the bottom of the screen. If the adds get annoying, you have the option of paying a one time $3.99 fee to get rid of those adds. This fee will also provide you with a few additional features. You can get this by going to the app store on your Iphone and searching for ‘twitterrific’
Tweetie (Iphone Users)
This is the other of the two Iphone apps that has really stood out as a leader in usability and functionality. For the purpose of sending out tweets and not having to worry about the adds at the bottom, tweetie is a great tool for its $2.99 price. You can get tweetie by going to the app store on your Iphone and searching for ‘tweetie’
There are countless other applications out there that you can add to your desktop or mobile device, and more are coming every day. As you become a power user, many of the features in the above list will stand out and improve your Twitter experience. One last suggestion: We highly recommend– especially on a mobile device–to download a twitter specific app. It will save you a ton of time logging into Twitter.com.
Sean Devlin is available to answer your Twitter related questions, as well as any questions you have about your web-based recruiting management program (even if it is a product other than Front Rush). To ask Sean a question, email him at sdevlin@frontrush.com or call him directly at 866.634.1186 x105.
For more information about web-based recruiting management and advanced emailing for college coaches, visit www.frontrush.com.
