The popularity of Twitter has skyrocketed in recent months. PC Mag has picked up on twitter's rising popularity, and compete.com reports that Twitter is now the third most popular social network site.

If you're on Twitter (which you probably are if you're reading this article), then you know just how hard it is to keep up with everything. Between people's @replies to you, direct messages, comments and (hopefully) hundreds or even thousands of followers, tracking it all is a daunting task.

Enter TweetDeck, a simple organizational tool that allows you to keep track of anything and everything on Twitter that you want. Oh and I also use tweetdeck. Come follow me and see how I use it.

TweetDeck (sometimes spelled Tweet Deck) is a free software program that helps you organize Twitter (and facebook!). Here are some of the features of the latest version of tweetdeck:

1. View all tweets in real time
2. Use columns to organize twitter and set up key features
3. Create groups to quickly and easily follow a particular set of friends/followers
4. Update your facebook status and follow facebook friends
5. Follow your @replies and direct messages (huge plus!)
6. Follow active tweets about a particular topic using the search function
7. Easily share short videos and photos using 12seconds and twitpic
8. Watch stocks using Stocktwits
9. Easy URL shortening service (since you have to have >140 characters per tweet)
10. Post tweets to multiple twitter accounts (NEW FEATURE)
    

Keep in mind this is the short list of what TweetDeck can do.

Take a look at the pictures and text below to see the power and potential TweetDeck has to transform your Twitter experience:

It is important to know the buttons on the top of the layout. This is the lifeblood of tweetdeck.

With those buttons you can add columns for:

• All friends
• @replies
• Direct messages
• Favorites
• Groups
• Twitter Search
• Twitscoup
• 12seconds
• Stock twits
• Facebook status updates

Everyone is shouting about how Twitter is the next big thing, and I don't doubt that. However, having twitter, using twitter properly and maximizing twitter are three completely different things. Here are ways you can maximize twitter using tweetdeck:

Example 1:

If you are in the running shoe business, create columns for several different keyword searches. Column suggestions could be: "running shoes", "need new shoes", "nice new shows" or "(insert your business name here)".

Begin interacting with your twitter audience by interacting with them regularly. But don't be a pushy salesperson. Nothing turns people off more than you forcing your website into every tweet or always pushing a sale. Be helpful and be a resource, not a burden or a snake oil salesman.

Create several "groups" of followers to help organize everything. One group of followers could be co-workers, business partners or shoe manufacturing resources. Another group could be people who need new shoes or those who show interest in your products. And don't forget a group of your friends and family so you can keep up with their tweets too!

Example 2:

If you aren't in a business, but want to use twitter for personal reasons, TweetDeck can help you too. Using a similar model as above, create different columns that actively search for tweets that have to do with whatever you want. Hobbies, interests, locations, etc. are all good ideas.

Then, create groups based on how you want to categorize the above. One group could be for people interested in basketball, another could be for people who frequently travel to Hawaii and another could be for people who love weddings. Be creative.

Not only does TweetDeck allow you to do all this, it also allows you to update facebook so you can keep in touch with your facebook friends as well. Let's face it, TweetDeck has transformed Twitter.

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