There are thousands of individual Twitter tools available on the Internet. Each tool usually accomplishes a unique function, but there are some general categories that can be useful when trying to decide which tools to use. Many Twitter tools are designed for the benefit of businesses rather than individuals, but there are some that can be useful on a daily basis. New Twitter tools are designed constantly as technology advances, but many people find keeping up with new and frivolous tools exhausting. For this reason, it is common for people to continue to use the same Twitter tools even when newer and better ones develop.
Twitter tools are commonly designed to provide functions that Twitter does not. One of the most common types of tools allows users to keep track of who stops following their account and who has followed them in return. Organizing followers, replying to groups of followers, and generally managing followers in a more orderly fashion are all common tool designs.
Another common type of tool takes tweets from Twitter and turns them into something else or visa versa. For example, there are many Twitter tools that turn emails or text messages into tweets. On the other hand, there are tools that turn tweets into sticky notes and emails. Some tools organize tweets in other formats, providing an RSS feed or a list of tweets.
Businesses often find that looking at trends on Twitter can help isolate good business strategies. As such, there are many tools that allow users to figure out which keywords are trending at any given moment. It is sometimes even possible to isolate where those keywords are trending geographically. When trying to judge the influence of a certain term over time, a graph can be more helpful.
Many tools allow access to Twitter from places other than the Twitter website. These tools can integrate tweets into a website, or they may allow access to Twitter from a mobile device or desktop. Many applications that allow access to Twitter remotely also make it possible to organize multiple Twitter accounts or perform specialized tweeting functions, such as setting a tweet to send at a specific time in the future.
It is certainly possible that many categories of Twitter tools will continue to evolve as the possible applications of Twitter expand. One of the best ways to keep track of Twitter tools is through Twitter itself, as many people who use these tools talk about them on Twitter. Another way is to search for Twitter tools online or keep a look out in reputable magazines. These techniques can help weed out frivolous tools and bring only the most relevant to the forefront.