Twitter ()

photo credit: mark sebastian

Here’s an abbreviated breakdown of the top 10 applications from Barb’s article:

1. Dropbox. “Looking for a dead easy way to share even large files with people quickly? Check out Dropbox (), a great utility app for the Mac (it actually runs on Windows and Linux () as well) that essentially gives you 2 free GB of unrestricted cloud file storage.”
2. Skitch. “We really can’t rave enough about Skitch () (we recently profiled it in our fun image generators list). Part screen capture tool, part easy doodling app, Skitch is also a dead simple way to quickly share screencaps, images and illustrations with others.”
3. Tweetdeck. In an informal survey I conducted on LinkedIn back in March, Tweetdeck won hands down as the favorite Twitter client. Enough said.
4. Gruml. “Gruml is a desktop application that synchronizes with Google Reader () for feed reading and brings many of the social features of gReader along with it.” Gotta check this one out.
5. NewNewsWire. “If you don’t already use Google Reader and are looking for a good desktop RSS and Atom client for the Mac, check out NetNewsWire.”
6. Flock. Flock is a social web browser that Mashable recently reviewed here.
7. Adium. “If you use more than one instant messaging service regularly, you’re going to want a chat client that can support multiple protocols and accounts seamlessly. Not only does Adium () deliver that, but its default sound when your contacts log in or out or send you a message is a quacking duck.”
8. Boxee. This one sounds great, “Boxee is basically a socially-enabled media center for your Mac, allowing you to browse both your personal media collection as well as your favorite online video services in one convenient and easy to use interface. It’s designed to give you a great experience for internet content on your television screen, and works with the Apple Remote control that ships with a number of Mac models (and is available for purchase separately).”
9. Hulu desktop. “If you’re a television and/or movie buff with a penchant for streaming content, the desktop app offers a nice fullscreen viewing experience as well as support for operation via the standard Apple Remote.”
10. Skype. “Skype () is one of the leading voice over IP (VoIP) services on the web, and you can use it to make free voice calls between any two computers running the software. For an astonishingly small amount of money you can do a lot of other cool things with Skype too, like send text messages from your computer, get low-cost international calling to landlines around the world, forward calls to your cellphone, get a “Skype In” number your friends can use to make a local call to you from regular phones, get voicemail services and more.”

What other free social applications for Mac do you like? What’s missing from this list?

As I mentioned in a post several days ago, last week I was intrigued with tip 4 of “10 Tips on being a good Twitterer” from CNN.com last week. This is the tip I needed:

4. Use Twitter from your desktop. Twitter has something called an API (Application Programming Interface), which allows programmers to create experiences around Twitter for the community. Because of this, there have been an amazing array of applications released that will allow you to manage your Twitter account easily. There’s Twitterrific, TweetDeck, and Twhirl — just to name a few.

I admit it has become impossible to track the more than 400 people, news organizations, and companies that interest me. But the last line of the tip stumped me, “There’s Twitterrific, TweetDeck, and Twhirl.” Which one to choose?

photo credit: dougbelshaw

Next stop, Google. I quickly queried “Twitterrific, TweetDeck, and Twhirl”. Lots of results. Unfortunately, nothing jumped out that would quickly solve my dilemma. I then turned to Twitter. I tweeted my request, “Which one to use Twitterrific, TweetDeck, or Twhirl?” No responses.

I then turned to the LinkedIn Tweeple Group. Within several hours I was flooded with responses –41 to date. 31 votes for TweetDeck. I heard from Twitterers around the world. I also heard from Jesse Engle, CEO of CoTweet. According to Jesse, CoTweet was designed for companies that are interested in having their team tweet through the corporate or brand account. Definitely a product to check out.

So, what started as a quick question, ended up being a fun journey around the world courtesy of the Tweeple Group on LinkedIn. Now, for the download.

What are you using to manage your Twitter account?