Mamas On The Web

Thwirl versus TweetDeck

July 11th, 2008

I’ve been using Twitter for a couple months now and soon after I first signed up I downloaded Twhirl which is an application that allows you to use Twitter without using your web browser. A week ago I decided to try TweetDeck, which is essentially the same application but with a few more features. In the end, I weighed the pros and cons and came to the conclusion that Twhirl won the battle of the two.

Here’s why I think Thwirl kicks ass:

Twhirl

• Small unobtrusive notices pop up in the bottom right-hand corner of your computer screen each time Thwirl refreshes and new tweets are posted.
• When you receive replies or direct messages, Thwirl will ding at you. This might annoy some people but it’s handy for me when I’m puttering around the house. When I hear the ding I’ll quickly check it out. Otherwise, replies or direct messages may not be replied to for a long time if I’m not sitting at the computer.
• You can set the options to make the Thwirl program opaque. I like this feature so that when I’m not using it I can see right through it and view my desktop wallpaper. Dumb, but I like it anyway.
• Thwirl has a refresh button. I have it set to refresh every 5 minutes but if I want to, I can refresh any time.
• Thwirl is extremely easy to use. I figured it out in no time with no confusion whatsoever. And that’s saying a lot (for me).
• You can shorten your URLs from within the Thwirl application.
• Everything you can view with Twitter on the web can also be viewed in Twhirl, such as Replies, Direct Messages, Followers, Favorites, etc. This is really handy.

Why I don’t like TweetDeck

• TweetDeck doesn’t “ding” at you when you receive direct messages or replies.
• There are no popup notices each time new tweets are posted.
• From what I could see, there was no refresh button. You had to wait for TweetDeck to “Auto-update”.
• While it was nice to see replies and direct messages in their own column next to regular tweets, the application took up a lot of room on my computer screen.
• I couldn’t find any “Options” to change any settings. The first thing I do when I download a new program is mess with the options so this was a point lost for TweetDeck as well.

Now, TweetDeck is in Beta mode so they’re still working out bugs and adding new features. Both Thwirl and TweetDeck also have other cool features in addition to the ones I’ve listed above, but I just stuck to the ones I use.

Ultimately, we all have our own preferences and reasons why we use Twitter. While Twhirl might work better for people like me, TweetDeck may be a better option for others. These are just some reasons why I personally prefer Twhirl over TweetDeck.

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Entry Filed under: Freebies, Reviews, Tools