Twitter Shortens URLs

The social networking service converts long URLs into t.co forms.


Popular web service Twitter will now automatically shorten any long web addresses you post to a t.co URL.

Twitter used to do this earlier with bit.ly, but they no longer support the service.

[More on Twitter]

Trace Twitter unfollowers with Qwitter

Qwitter – Get informed of unfollowers on Twitter


Qwitter is a service that sends you updates of people who unfollow you on social networking platform, Twitter.

Sign up with the website by providing your Twitter handle and email address, and a summary email will be sent everyday. The service also helps one identify bots and spammers.

Related Reading: More Twitter Tips

Short Simplified Tips #2

More Useful Links

Boomerang for GMail – Boomerang is an add-on to the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox web browsers that allows you to schedule the sending of your emails. You can select from the options given, or can provide your own specified time. [More Add-Ons]

Read It Later – Creates a reading list for you to read web pages later. You can also save web pages and read offline. It is available for most web browsers, and mobile operating systems.

TBUZZ – Is a bookmarklet that allows you to instantly share web pages on Twitter, and also check if the web page you are sharing is already being talked about on the microblogging platform. [More Bookmarklets]

[More Short Simplified Tips]

Tall Tweets

Compose long tweets, send them as short ones.


Tall tweets is a web-based Twitter application that gathers a long tweet from you and slices it into short tweets of 140 characters or less.

Head to Tall Tweets, sign in with your Twitter handle or email address and compose a long tweet. The tweet will be split into parts and appear in a reverse order on the Twitter timeline. The service also shortens hyperlinks with bit.ly.

Related Reading: More on Twitter

Twitter Suggests Followers

New Twitter feature suggests people to follow.


Twitter has introduced a new feature on the main page, that offers suggestions of people to follow.

If you are on the profile page of a particular person, then you will get suggestions of similar users you can follow. The suggestions will appear on the lower-right corner. 

Related Reading: Twitter Tips

Official Twitter App For iPhone

Tweetie is now available as the official Twitter app for the iPhone/iPod Touch. For free.


Twitter has released it’s official app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. You can download it for free from the App Store.

It is a version of the popular Tweetie app that was priced at $2.99 in the App Store. But Twitter For iPhone is available for a free download.

Get it here.

Related Reading: More Twitter Tips

Google Follow Finder

Google’s new experimental service helps you find new Twitter followers.

Google Labs has come up with a web service to allow you to find people on Twitter that are worth following – Google Follow Finder.

It analyzes the people you follow and the follow lists to come up with suggestions. Just enter your Twitter handle and the Follow Finder will do the rest.

Related Reading: More Twitter Tips

Echofon For Mac

Popular Twitter client Echofon is now available for the Mac OS.


Echofon has released a Mac version of it’s popular client for Firefox, iPhone and iPod Touch.

The Twitter client is available for a free download on it’s website. You can also sync the client with your iPhone’s Echofon to have unread tweets available on the iPhone.

Related Reading: Twitter Tips

Remix Twitter Web With MonkeyFly

MonkeyFly – Twitter add-on.


Do you prefer to use Twitter’s web service instead of desktop clients or another online clients? Then you should install the MonkeyFly add-on for Mozilla Firefox.


The extension is also available on Google Chrome. MonkeyFly adds a whole new dimension to Twitter web, by allowing you to add sub-pages on the homepage (of mentions, direct messages etc), shorten URLs through the J.mp service, save tweets as drafts and do much more on the homepage itself.

If you are using Twitter web, you should give MonkeyFly a try.

Related Reading: More Tips on Twitter

5 Fun Twitter Tools

A few more Twitter tools.


1. Favotter

Favotter allows you to see who has faved your tweets on Twitter. The service displays a simple list of all the people who have done so.

2. Twitter2Gtalk

Twitter2Gtalk sets your tweets as your status message in the Google Talk instant messaging service.

3. Sleeping Time

Sleeping Time is a fun web-based service, with which you can find the estimated sleeping time of your Twitter friends.

4. Twitalyzer

Twitalyzer analyzes your Twitter influence and presents you with statistics regarding the same.

5. Tweetreach

Tweetreach shows you how far your tweets have travelled, in terms of them being re-tweeted.

Related Reading: More Twitter Tools And Tips

Share Music on Facebook and Twitter

Feeder.fm – A useful free service to share music with your friends on social websites.


Feeder.fm helps you discover music and share it instantly with your friends, on Facebook and Twitter.

The free service is a great way to find music and post it directly to Facebook and Twitter. You can also use Feeder as a website to listen to free music.

All you need to do is search for music you like and feed it to your Facebook account. It will appear on your wall, after you’ve connected the two websites.

Related Reading: More Tips on Free Music

Twitter Extensions For Google Chrome

Tweet from the Google Chrome web browser, with these two Twitter extensions.


If you are a user of both Twitter and the Google Chrome web browser, you can tweet using these two extensions for the web browser.

1. Chromed Bird


Chromed Bird is a Twitter extension that offers most of the features you would need in a Twitter add-on. It appears with the necessary timeline, mentions and the direct messages tabs. You can also shorten URLs while tweeting. 

2. Chrowety


Chrowety is another useful Twitter extension for Google Chrome. Chrowety offers more features than Chromed Bird. It is multi-lingual and you can even see photos or videos that have been tweeted.

Related Reading: Twitter Tips | Google Chrome Tips

Google Buzz Simplified

Simple tips to make the most out of Google Buzz.


Google Buzz is Google’s social microblogging and information sharing service, that comes embedded in Google Mail.

What you basically do on Buzz is share your status, photos or useful links with people who follow you. Google Buzz is like an expanded form of Twitter. 

Here are a set of tips and tools that will help you do more on Google Buzz:

1. Send a Buzz to a user’s Gmail Inbox

You can send a message to a user through Buzz by specifying the @ symbol, followed by the person’s email address, which will post the update on your Buzz feed and send the message to the user’s email.

2. Connect your Social websites


If you want to connect various social websites like your blog, Twitter profile or Picasa to your Buzz stream, then simply select the Connected Sites option at the top of your Buzz stream, and add/remove websites accordingly. [Refer above screenshot]

3. A Firefox Add-on for Google Buzz


If you are a user of the Mozilla Firefox web browser, then you can instantly share what you surf with your followers on Google Buzz, by installing the Buzz It Firefox add-on in your browser. Buzz It also auto-shortens URLs with Bit.ly.

4. Google Chrome Extension for Google Buzz

The Google Buzz extension for Google Chrome, Google Buzz Pad, is a useful add-on that allows you to view your Buzz account and also share links with your followers from Google Reader.

5. Block unknown followers

Google Buzz offers you the option to block unknown followers, who might be posting inappropriate or unwanted comments on your posts.

Simply go to the list of your followers, and select Block corresponding to the specific follower to block him/her.

6. Privacy – Disable followers/following list from Google profile


A new option to disable the public viewing of who you are following and being followed by, has been introduced in Google Buzz. You can now disable the viewing of both of these lists from third parties visiting your Google profile.

To do that, click on the lists to open them. You will find a checkbox as shown above at the bottom of the lists. De-select the checkbox to ensure these lists cannot be viewed.

7. Update Buzz via email

To update Google Buzz via email, all you require is a Buzz-enabled GMail account. Simply send your update to buzz@gmail.com, to post your update to your Buzz followers via email.

8. Find more people on Buzz


To find more people to follow on Google Buzz, select the Find People option at the top of your Buzz feed, and you can find recommended followers, or search for users via their names or email addresses.

9. Select Public/Private while posting


You can choose to share on Buzz with a select people, or with anybody else on the world wide web.

When writing a post, find the Public/Private drop-down and select the desired one. [Screenshot above]

10. Remove posts from your Buzz feed


To hide a post on your Buzz feed that you may not be interested in, select the Mute Post option from the top-right drop-down menu on the particular post. [Screenshot above]

11. Disable Buzz/Hide Buzz


You can disable Google Buzz entirely from your GMail by heading to the bottom of your GMail page, where you will find a Turn Off Buzz option.

To hide the Buzz label from Gmail, simply head to Settings –> Labels and edit as required.

12. Update Twitter and Buzz together

In case you want to post the same update on both Twitter, the popular microblogging platform, and Google Buzz, read this Internet Simplified post to know how.

13. Create a Google Buzz widget


You can create a Google Buzz widget for your website, by heading to Buzz Counter. Simply specify your Google profile name and obtain the code for the widget.

Paste it on your blog/website, and a widget (see screenshot above) will appear with your Buzz updates.

Related Reading: Compendium of Tips on GMail

Update Twitter And Buzz Together

BuzzTweep – Send updates to Twitter and Google Buzz at once.


BuzzTweep is a free service, using which you can update your Twitter account and your Google Buzz stream at once, with the same comment.

Just follow the instructions given on their website (Tutorials Page 1 and Page 2) to set up the service. Basically, all you require to do is set up a GMail filter, and then connect your Twitter account to the service.

Learn in detail about setting up a GMail filter in our detailed GMail tips post.

Related Reading: What is Google Buzz?

7 Interesting Twitter Services

Useful Twitter services, that are free.


Here are seven interesting Twitter services that you can give a try.

1. TweetAlarm

TweetAlarm is a Google Alerts-type of service for Twitter. Get alerted when users tweet about something specific to you with TweetAlarm.

2. TweetStats

TweetStats is a service that provides a detailed, graphical analysis of your Twitter usage. Just enter your Twitter handle, and you will get a detailed report about everything that can be possibly analyzed of your Twitter use.

3. Chir.ps

Chir.ps helps you tweet little audio clips to your followers. Record an audio clip and tweet it to your followers. Learn more here.

4. TwitterCal

With TwitterCal, you can tweet events and notes directly to your Google Calendar account. To learn how to do that, read our complete post on Twittercal.

5. Twitzer

Twitzer helps you go beyond the 140-character tweet limit set by Twitter. You can post longer tweets. Learn more here.

6. Twitter Grader

Twitter Grader offers you details about how influential you are in comparison with other Twitter users. Enter your Twitter handle and be ranked with this service.

7. Twtpoll

Twtpoll helps you create a little opinion poll in Twitter. Generate a poll and share the link with others on Twitter, to get percentage stats about a particular topic.

If you need more Twitter tips, visit the useful Twitips website.

Twitter Introduces Local Trends

Now follow local trending topics, on Twitter.


Social microblogging platform Twitter has introduced local trending topics in it’s web service. A trending topic is basically the subject being most talked about in Twitter at the moment.

 
You can observe local trends now. Local trends are currently available for a few countries and cities.

Related Reading: Twitter Simplified

How To Tweet Audio Clips To Your Twitter Followers

Make Twitter more personal. Record and tweet audio clips with Chirps.


Chir.ps is an interesting tool that allows you to tweet audio, along with your text. Need to send out a tweet to your followers with an audio message included? Use Chirps.

Simply, record an audio clip, add a text message if you like and tweet from the website itself. Chirps is a free service, and offers you to either record an audio clip or upload one from your computer.

Related Reading: More Twitter Tips

9 Useful Facebook Applications

Nine Facebook applications, that provide a lot of uses.


Facebook applications are useful tools created by third-parties that you can use in the social network to do more stuff. Listed below are 10 very useful applications that you must use:

1. Twitter


Link your Facebook account with your Twitter account through the Twitter application. With this application, whatever you tweet in Twitter would be posted as your status in Facebook. Access the Twitter application now.

2. Muziic


Muziic is a great way to listen to music playlists while browsing Facebook. It is a simple application, that looks like a multimedia player, and is also easy-to-use. You can also use it to watch music videos from YouTube. Get Muziic on Facebook now.

3. Picasa


You can upload photos from Google’s image sharing tool Picasa directly to Facebook by getting the Picasa application that inserts a Facebook link in the freeware. Access the application here.

4. Zoho Online Office


Share and access your Zoho Online Office documents, spreadsheets or presentations from Facebook itself. The Zoho Online Office application allows you to share and collaborate or edit your documents that have been created from Zoho, the popular online office service.

5. Files


Files is a very useful Facebook application. With Files, you can use Facebook to save, share and access any documents, photos or videos within the social network. The service is powered by Box.Net and offers upto 1 GB space for free. Access Files now.

6. my Lists

Create and maintain To-Do lists with the my Lists Facebook application. You can create useful lists that remind you of work to be done. Access the my Lists application here.

7. Facebook Mobile


Facebook Mobile is a service to access your Facebook account from your mobile. It provides a decent, mobile-adapted interface that allows you to perform many of the Facebook functions from the web service. Visit Facebook Mobile to do that, from your GPRS browser.

8. Calendar

Facebook Calendar is a useful application to maintain schedules, dates, meetings and everything else on the social network. You can use the application to keep track of events and birthdays also. Access Facebook Calendar now. [Note: There are also other Calendar applications in Facebook]

9. My Flickr


My Flickr connects your Facebook account with your Flickr photo stream. Friends on Facebook can view and comment on your Flickr photos without having to go to Flickr. Activate My Flick here.

Related Reading: More Facebook Tips

Post Longer Tweets With Twitzer

Twitzer – A Firefox add-on that helps you exceed the 140-character tweet limit on Twitter.


Ever wanted to tweet more text, but were restricted by the 140-character limit in Twitter? Well, install Twitzer, a Firefox add-on, to get over that problem.

Twitzer allows you to type longer text, which it then converts into a special URL, restricting your tweet to a total of 140 characters, for your followers on Twitter to read.

All you would require to do is to right-click and select the option to ‘Twitzer’ the text, which would create a URL. Twitzer even expands short URLs for you.

Install Twitzer for Firefox [Size: 22 KB]

Related Reading: Everything About Twitter

Use Twitter from Google Talk

Add Tweeterbot as a contact.


Tweeterbot is a chat bot you can add in your Google Talk and GMail chat contacts, to use Twitter from instant messaging itself.

Simply add tweeterbot@appspot.com as a contact. Type a message to tweeterbot, and it will provide you the link to authorize access to your Twitter account.

Once that is set up, every time you need to tweet, write a message to tweeterbot and it will be published in your Twitter timeline.

Related Reading: Search Google, Yahoo or Bing from your Instant Messenger