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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Twitter Tools: ManageFlitter, HootSuite & Buffer



Here we are in Part 3 of my Twitter Journey and there are three more tools/websites I'd like to discuss.

The first is ManageFlitter which was my go-to unfollow page before I found and joined JustUnfollow.com


Simple and easy to use, a quick stop to clean out those who don't follow you. I used this for several months and it works well, except sometimes I ended up unfollowing someone who I really DID want to follow. LOL!


HootSuite is next up on the list. This is my main dashboard for Twitter, both on my laptop and my Android phone. I have gone through umpteen iterations of how it looks but that's okay because it's easy to do. This is what my current dashboard looks like.


I've connected three Twitter accounts, my Facebook fan page and my LinkedIn account. I initially had my main Facebook page linked but had to drop it or pay when I added my latest Twitter account. I just can't justify $10/month for that, so I'll stick within the free limits.

I continually find new ways to do things in HootSuite but my favorite feature is the scheduling. I can easily setup multiple tweets for various accounts, all set to tweet at a later date/time.


There are apps for your phone as well. I use the mobile app for my Android phone and any time I make a layout change on the website, I can refresh it on my phone. It works well...what else can I say. There are many more features but I try to keep it simple.

The last tool is Buffer. I am new to using this, it's another way to automate tweeting interesting links. I subscribe to a wide variety of blogs and often run across articles that I think other folks would like. With Buffer I can send the links, on a regularly scheduled basis, to my Twitter account (I'm only using my main one), my LinkedIn account and my Facebook fan page.


Once your account is set up, and I highly recommend using the same number of daily tweets on all your accounts otherwise the buffer for one will be empty before the others and you won't be able to add to it, you install the add-on for your browser. That will add a little black icon in your tray (as well as a button for Facebook and other pages). When you are on a page you'd like to share, you click the button and it will automatically add the link to your buffer.


This image shows you where you can customize the outgoing message before it is added to your buffer. If you enlarge the image you will see the small black layered-paper icon that represents Buffer. That is what I clicked to bring this up. You can see at the top that my buffer is almost empty. You get ten free a day. If you want to buffer more, there is a pay version.

---->Tomorrow is the final roundup of my Twitter articles.

Wake me later, I'm napping...

8 comments:

  1. I have used JustUnfollow.com to weed out the people who aren't following me back and such. Hootsuite is awesome for scheduling tweets and the like, but I haven't heard of Buffer before.

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  2. I could not exist without BufferApp and Hootsuite!! Plus, those BufferApp guys are so cool and sweet and I just adore them!! I even volunteered to be their BufferApp poster child! :)

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  3. I found Buffer through an A-Z challenge friend. It initially confused me but now I use it to Tweet out all kinds of stuff that I think might interest folks.

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  4. Wow! Got any BufferApp tips to pass along. I'm very new to it... ;-)

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  5. I am salivating over this whole series... I have a general hate relationship with Twitter, but I want to USE it more. I am hoping all these tips will help me to make it more manageable. Thank you!

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  6. I felt the same way, Jo. Hoping the tips and tools help you get more comfortable. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll help all I can.

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  7. I just signed on with HootSuite and am taking the Hoot U courses to learn to use the thing. Hopefully I won't flunk out! :-(

    Thank for the tip on this one, it could save me quite a bit of time and make my daily "Social Media Hour" more productive.

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  8. I just winged it but that's how I usually do things...only looking for help when I can't figure something out. LOL!

    I've changed my dashboard at least a dozen times, working out what does the best for me. Love it! Having it on my phone helps, too.

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