TweetDeck is the most useful application for managing Twitter that I’ve found. While many call it “intuitive,” some of my clients are intimidated by it. Perhaps they don’t realize it has tooltip-type hints when you mouse over the various buttons, or maybe the tips don’t explain enough. For those of you who want more than tooltips, here is a basic introduction to TweetDeck.
Organize your screen with these buttons
The following nine buttons function as toggles. That is, click once to open, and click again to close. They are found at the upper left of your screen. (Where appropriate, I’ve linked to some tutorials on another site that explain certain functions in more detail.)
- Click here to type a message (status update). When you click this button, several other buttons become available which I will collectively refer to as the tweetbox. They are explained below.
- This opens or closes a column that shows all updates from everyone you follow. Usually it’s open.
- Click this button to start a new group.
- Click here to set up a search column.
- Click here to start a column that monitors all replies to you. (That is, all messages that have @yourtwittername in them.)
- If you want to have a column of all your direct messages, click here.
- This button sets up a column with all your favorited tweets.
- Twitscoop enables you to see what the hot twitter topics are.
- 12seconds is “the best place online for video status updates.” When you click this button it will ask you for your login.
Using the tweetbox to post a message. (Button 1 above.)
(Click image to enlarge)
Your message is also called a status update. You type it into the tweetbox, the largest blank field in the form (A). As you know, you only have 140 characters at your disposal. Tweetdeck helps you get the most out of them. If you are linking to another page, Tweetdeck will shorten the url using one of several link-shortening services. Paste your link in at (B) and choose the service from (C). (In this case, tinyURL.) Then click the Shorten button (D).
Do you want to share a picture? Type the caption for your picture into the message box, and click the TwitPic button (E). Tweetdeck gets the photo uploaded to TwitPic, and inserts a shortened url to the image. You just have to press enter.
Finally, if your message is just a leetle too long, click (F) to use Tweetshrink to trim it down. It will change you to u, are to r, and the like, in an effort to get your message under the 140 character limit.
Info from an individual status update
Each group that you create is a vertical column of messages, with the newest at the top. Each message, or status update, is designed to provide a wealth of information and utility, but you need to mouse over the picture of the writer of that message to access the tools. Below is a reply I sent to @gardenofwords. You can’t see the cursor, but it is resting over my profile picture so that the four grey icons show up. These are buttons for the basic twitter functions: reply, direct message, retweet, and favorite.
Click on image to enlarge
If you click on the name of the sender of the message or any @twittername, Tweetdeck will open the Profile of that user in a column on the right. You can look over that user’s updates, read their bio and click on any url they’ve provided in their profile, and then, at the bottom of the column, click a button to follow them. If you’re already a follower, you can add or remove them from a group.
Next to the sender’s name is a plus sign (+). Click on that to add the sender to one or more groups (assuming you already follow her). If you click on the datestamp of the message, it will take you to the status permalink. This is the url of that message, which is useful if you want to link to it or bookmark it.
Tweetdeck also shows you the application used to send the message, and links to that application. This is useful for finding new ways to tweet.
After the application name is a link to the message that the current message is replying to. If the sender had clicked on the reply icon for the correct message, when you click on this link you will see the tweet that inspired the reply.This can sometimes be cut off if the user’s twittername is long or if the columns are narrow. When it works, it can be very helpful in putting replies in context.
Other Twitter tutorials
The advantage of a still tutorial such as this one is that you can refer to it as you’re using TweetDeck. But a video tutorial can help give you the big picture. I chose these particular tutorials because they illustrated features of TweetDeck that I haven’t covered in this tutorial. You will find a lot more videos on YouTube about TweetDeck, but most are of poor quality.
- How to Create a Group and Use the Search Function
- Rearranging Columns, Search Function, Change Settings (including colors)
- New features in the latest version 0.21b
Meet Iain Dodsworth
TweetDeck is currently the work of one person, Iain Dodsworth. In this video interview he discusses his plans for TweetDeck’s future. More about TweetDeck Pro. If you would like to help direct that future, vote for your favorite features at the TweetDeck feedback forum.
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God dag! Kan jag ladda ner en bild fran din blogg. Av sak med hanvisning till din webbplats!
Hi,
Thanks for the explaination but I have a problem with tweet deck.I have installed it many times and when I run it , a message in the botton right hand side says(twitter status not authorized) and I try to send an update , it says that update is not sent.Please email me what I can do to solve this problem as I reinstalled it many times but the same problem show up.
thanks
Kathy, that was an absolutely terrific post. TweetDeck is *the* main tool I use on a daily basis. I’ve found nothing else that compares with it. Thanks again for your stellar input to this online community!
How can I tweet and post to FB at the same time?
Help!
I love tweetdeck but can’t access any of the links that folk post. I can open them via twitter but not tweetdeck.
Any ideas?
I have been told that I can link tweetdeck to the blog on my website. Is this true and how do I do it?
Thankyou
Hi, Kadee–I think you are confusing Tweetdeck with Twitter itself. If you look at the very bottom of your Twitter (not Tweetdeck) page, you’ll see a link to Goodies. There are widgets there that can go in your blog. Your blogging software probably offers more options. For example, there are a lot of WordPress plugins available to display your tweets.
I just started with TweetDeck. My version 0.32.6 doesn’t show those 9 toggles you mention. I have 3 (one for updates, one for columns & one for profile). Where are the 9 toggles in this version. I can’t find “search”, “replies”, “direct messages,” etc.
Can you explain? I appreciate your help.
Debra
Debra, I am sorry. My tutorial was for an older version. There are now video tutorials at the Tweetdeck website. Perhaps one day I will do a new tutorial with screenshots, but I am currently helping clients learn how to use their blogging software.
Kathy
Thanks for your fast reply. However, I’m on TweetDeck and don’t see any video tutorials. I even searched Google for “TweetDeck Video Tutorials” and while several show up, none are actually TweetDeck. Do you have a URL you can direct me to?
Thanks
Debra
When I start up Tweetdeck, a welcome screen pops up. Click any of the panels in that welcome screen, and a video starts. I tried one of them, and the narrator spoke very fast with a British accent. I figured I’d have to listen to it several times to really “get” it. But those were the videos I was thinking of. Wouldn’t surprise me if they were done by Iain himself. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to turn the Welcome screen back on if you unchecked the box to show it on start up. It could be the videos you found on your search were the same ones.
The main Tweetdeck site has a Features page that has a listing of all the icons and what they stand for. Each item in the list is a link to more information. Also, if you click the question mark icon at the top right in the Tweetdeck program, it takes you to the support site. There is a series of articles intended for beginners there. I haven’t had time to look them over. Strangely enough, I could find no mention of the videos that are on the Welcome screen at the support site.
Truthfully, the way I learned Tweetdeck was to hover my mouse cursor over various things to see what the tool tip said, and then I just tried stuff out. Is there something specific you want to do that you can’t figure out how to do?
I made the original tutorial for a client, and even while I was making it Tweetdeck upgraded and the interface changed slightly. It took me a lot of time to make that tutorial because of all the screen shots and I’m not sure I want to make that investment of time again.
If you still feel intimidated after checking out the videos and the help articles, you can hire me to walk you through it. There is software available that will enable me to look at your computer screen and use your mouse to point things out to you. Combine that with a phone or Skype call, and it is almost as good as my being there. (About the only thing I can’t do is pat you on the back when you get it.)
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