New Hootsuite & Tweetdeck features, Facebook - News Feed / Live Feed defined - Richmond Social Media

Twitter tools

Here is the latest recap for two of the most popular Twitter optimization tools - Hootsuite and Tweetdeck. Recent releases and enhancements include integration with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Ping.fm for status updates, and as of Dec. 3, you can manage Facebook Fan Pages, as well. The recent Twitter list feature can now be added as an option in both Hootsuite and Tweetdeck.

Hootsuite
On November 24th, 2009 HootSuite Integrated Lists, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Not only can you import the lists you’ve already created, you can create your own lists using HootSuite. These lists can be saved as a column. Check Hootsuite blog for step-by-step instructions - HootSuite Integrates Lists, Facebook and LinkedIn

With the newest update, you can now use HootSuite to update your Facebook and/or LinkedIn status. HootSuite is the only Twitter client that will let you schedule your status updates in advance. Check Hootsuite blog for step-by-step instructions - How to Use Facebook and LinkedIn with HootSuite

You can schedule your status updates on Facebook and LinkedIn in the same manner as scheduling tweets for Twitter. The only difference now is that once you have added your Social Networks using the Settings tab, you have the option to post your messages to not only Twitter, but Facebook, Facebook Fan Pages, LinkedIn, and Ping.fm, as well.

Starting on December 3rd, 2009, you can integrate Facebook Pages with HootSuite. To add your Pages to HootSuite, go to Settings, select Social Networks, and then click Add Social Network. You will notice an option indented underneath Facebook that says Pages. Click on this option, and you’ll go through the same steps you previously used to authenticate private Facebook profiles. For more details, see Hootsuite blog - Manage Facebook Fan Pages with HootSuite

The 'Send Later' feature is very user-friendly and continues to enjoy popularity among Hootsuite fans. The Select Social Network feature, that allows other social networks to be updated when messages are posted, is a welcomed enhancement, and should see a spike in use by Hootsuite followers.

Tweetdeck On November 30, 2009 a new version of TweetDeck rolled out with some major improvements that included support for Lists, Retweets, maps for geo-tagged messages, and LinkedIn streams.

A recap of the TechCrunch article describing the new features for Tweetdeck is shared in this review.

TweetDeck already provided the ability to create Groups in separate columns, and is now replacing that feature with Twitter Lists. Existing TweetDeck Groups will still work, but from now on when you create a new group it will be via the official List functionality and available for all other Twitter users to see if you choose to make it public. You can also export your old groups as a List.

A suggested users feature, which suggests people to add to a list you are creating based on the existing members of the list you are starting with, is included, along with the name and the description.

TweetDeck has a unique way of handling Retweets. Two small, overlapping avatars of both the person being retweeted and of the person doing the retweeting are shown. You have the option of whether you want to retweet the new way or the old way, by editing first and then retweeting.

In addition to Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, you can now have a LinkedIn column as well. For a complete recap of the new Tweetdeck enhancements, check out the recent article, The New TweetDeck Goes List Crazy And Adds Maps To GeoTweets on TechCrunch ... or click Tweetdeck v0.32 to learn details about the latest features

Facebook - News Feed / Live Feed defined

Facebook made a few changes recently on the Home page that changed how information is displayed when you sign in to your Facebook account. There is a News Feed / View Live Feed toggle button at the top center of the Home page that allows one to switch back and forth between the two views.

Not sure how all this works? What is the difference between News Feed / Live Feed?

Some key questions were answered as follows in a recent Facebook Help Center page:

What is the difference between News Feed and Live Feed?

News Feed aggregates the most interesting content that your friends are posting, while Live Feed shows you all the actions your friends are making in real-time.

How does News Feed determine which content is most interesting?

The News Feed algorithm bases this on a few factors: how many friends are commenting on a certain piece of content, who posted the content, and what type of content it is (e.g. photo, video, or status update).

What types of content can appear in News Feed and Live Feed?

In addition to posts from your friends, you’ll see photo tags, friend requests, event RSVPs and group memberships in your home page streams.

Where are my Highlights?

Highlights and News Feed have been merged into one single stream in order to provide you with more control over what you see on your home page. Now when you load Facebook for the first time in a while, you’ll land on your News Feed, which contains a summary of the best content that you missed. After you've caught up on what you've missed, you can switch to the Live Feed. The Live Feed is a real-time stream that allows you to connect and share with friends’ updates immediately as they are occurring.

Further clarification of how the new News Feed / Live Feed feature works can be found at link - Questions and Answers from Facebook

- Daulton West, Jr. , aka "DWestJr” on Twitter