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?