Tweetdeck vs Twitter Lists

Posted by Gabe on November 19, 2009 under Ask Gabe, Twitter, Twitter for Beginners | 4 Comments to Read

I just received a very interesting question from @HomeSchoolMD:

@KidsAreHeroes What’s the difference between using Tweetdeck vs. Twitter lists?

Let me continue by saying that I don’t pretend to be a “guru” on either subject, especially when it comes to Twitter lists.  I have created one and I honestly don’t use them that much. (I explain why in the addendum to my #followfriday post.)  But I do pretty much exclusively use Tweetdeck so I feel I can at least answer the question.  (I also welcome comments in case I miss any good points here.)  The main difference in my mind is that Tweetdeck “groups” which compare to Twitter lists cannot be made public for anyone else to follow.  They are simply for your own benefit.  Where Tweetdeck excels is in the ability to have multiple columns visible simultaneously. So I can view several groups at once along with my mentions, direct messages and general tweets.  It appears to be a bit easier to put people in Tweetdeck groups, as with Twitter you have to be in the user’s profile to add him or her to your list.  So with Tweetdeck it’s strictly for personal benefit, but with Twitter getting people to follow the lists you have created can also be considered some sort of personal accomplishment.

I cannot help but get into a wider comparison to the overall interface of Twitter and Tweetdeck.  One major advantage of Tweetdeck is that it automatically refreshes any and all columns after a time that you specify in the preferences section.  It also allows you to customize notifications, both visually and auditorially.  You can specify general tweets, mentions, groups and or direct messages in the notifications.  Since I work in an environment where I have several computers, I prefer to leave it on at all times and have it beep only when I get mentions (I know not very “green” is it?).  Tweetdeck is designed to be able to do just that, but a bug in the software is preventing this at this time — I expect them to fix it in the next release.

The multiple columns, once I experienced it, made it impossible for me to go back to the old way of doing things.  This is true expecially if you follow LOTS of people like I do.  Tweetdeck also gives you the ability to filter tweets in your columns (i.e. if you filter by “http” you will get only tweets with links inside them.)

Tweetdeck has a “Translate” feature which is pretty cool and I have used it from time to time. It will translate the tweet from whatever language it is written to your own native language.  It also interfaces with MySpace and Facebook — these are features I personally do not use.

The one difference that is being talked about A LOT recently is that they both have retweet buttons that will retweet a post you might like.  The difference is that in Twitter’s brand new implementation you cannot edit the retweet. Period.  It simply retweets the exact tweet to your followers giving only the originator of the tweet the credit.  The advantage here is you never have to worry about going over the 140 character limit, since the original tweet cannot be added to.  So for example, here is a tweet I retweeted with both Twitter and Tweetdeck.

Original Tweet:

GabeONeill: Am testing to see what happens when you use Twitter to retweet a very long message that approaches one hundred and forty characters. Just tw
(the “tw” is at the end of the 140 characters)

Twitter retweet from @KidsAreHeroes:

GabeONeill: Am testing to see what happens when you use Twitter to retweet a very long message that approaches one hundred and forty characters. Just tw

As you can see the tweet is identical. When viewed in Twitter it has their retweet icon in front and says “Retweeted by KidsAreHeroes” at the bottom.  Now the real interesting thing here is that it does not seem that the Twitter retweets show in the Tweetdeck stream at all.  I was trying to see how these would appear but in several cases I could not find them.  Would love to hear the scoop on that if anyone knows it. 

Tweetdeck retweet from @KidsAreHeroes:

KidsAreHeroes: RT @GabeONeill: Am testing 2 c what happens when you use Twitter to RT a long msg that approaches one hundred and forty characters. Just tw

Now as you can see I had to edit it so that there was enough space to include the RT in front, and the GabeONeill also takes up part of the 140 characters in this case.  This can be a pain if someone writes a cool but very long tweet.  But this method allows us to give credit to multiple retweeters (which I like) and can be used to add commentary on the end. Here’s an example:

RT @Milogirly RT @CarynTamber: @KidsAreHeroes My favorite kind of dog! Bernese Mountain dogs are beautiful! (Agreed! :)

Another rather large difference is that you have to go to a separate list to see who has retweeted you.  This is very cumbersome to me.  Using the old-fashioned method, if someone retweets you that retweet ends up in your mentions folder.  That way you know which of your tweets are more popular than others and you have the opportunity of giving thanks, even connecting with the retweeter.

From what I have seen and heard being able to edit is still the preferred method of retweeting.  We are even conditioned to the point that if we want retweets we keep our tweets short enough to allow for them. 

So what do you all think??