Filed under: Odds and ends, Internet Tools, Widget Watch
Widget Watch: Twitterlex - Yet Another Twitter Dashboard widget
The web just keeps showing its love for Twitter, the new social service that asks the simple question: "what are you doing?" The service has exploded recently, capturing users from all around including Leo Laporte, Darth Vader and even your favorite Apple blog! Naturally, when a site becomes this infectious, plenty of add-ons, scripts, apps and widgets are sure to crop up, and Twitterlex by Brett Taylor is yet another Twitter related product. Like Twitgit which we previously mentioned, Twitterlex displays the latest updates from your friends, and allows you to post your own. Of all the widgets (and apps) I've seen so far, Twitterlex has the best UI in terms of a sleek, compact interface that lets you see your friends' updates as they happen. Sure, Twitterific from the Icon Factory has the sexy transparent smoke thing going on, but I love having everyone's names and updates displayed without having to manually scroll through a list.
Still, to each their own, and thanks to the Twitter Fan Wiki and an enthusiastic community that seems to be growing exponentially, you each have no shortage of options for playing with Twitter.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
franko said 1:43PM on 1-27-2007
am i the only one who finds twitter completely useless? sorry, but i just don't get why it's such a big deal.
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Dave Chartier said 2:25PM on 1-27-2007
#1: Franko, different people have different takes on it, but my perspective is that it's one singular place that's really handy for keeping your friends, family and co-workers updated on what's going on and what you're doing. Your friends can watch your updates on the web, via IM and even via SMS on their phones, so if you post a new status (kind of like changing your status on IM) they *all* get notified right away. No multiple phone calls to a few people, and an email to a couple other people, etc. You state what you're doing in one place, and everyone who wants or needs to know can get updated no matter how they're paying attention.
It's a pretty powerful tool in this context. Of course, like any other social service like this, it can have its downfalls. For example: Twitter is only useful in the context I described if enough of your friends, family and co-workers are actually using it and subscribed to your status. Still, it's a really handy service if the right people get on board.
Hope this helps!
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franko said 3:37PM on 1-27-2007
thanks - that DOES help. ok, so it's actually more helpful than i first thought.
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Dave Chartier said 11:28PM on 1-27-2007
@Franko: Glad to hear I helped! Now, you can go a step further: Twitter can get even more powerful if you check out that wiki. There are scripts, plugins and all sorts of other goodies for your blog, IM app, etc. I have a WordPress widget running on my personal blog that pulls my last three Twitter updates, and I also use Adium/iChat plugins to use my Twitter status as my chat status. Now, if I'm out and about and, say, running late for something, I can send Twitter an update via SMS from my mobile phone, and *everyone* who wants or needs to can get updated - whether via the web, their own SMS, IM notifications, my blog, and even my IM online/away status. It's pretty slick. :)
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Kevin said 1:24PM on 1-29-2007
I tried this out and it doesn't work for me, even though I have a Twitter account. Anyone else?
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