Make Twitter manageable with this great aggregator

 Harness the power of Twitter with TweetDeck on your iPad

TWITTER ADDICTS SWEAR BY TWEETDECK ON THEIR

computers, and now this Twitter aggregator has an iPad counterpart. The application allows you to handle all your incoming and outgoing Tweets in one place, by giving you an interface that brings each account together. The idea is thatyou set up various 'columns' to displayyourTwitter activity - for example, you'll have a column for your friends' tweets, tweets that mention you by name, and your direct messages. You can add any number of columns, based on user groups, Twitter searches and Twitter trends.

TweetDeck makes Twitter a lot easier to use, and the app makes your own tweeting much easier, too, thanks to easy access to hashtags, contacts, pictures, and more besides. The app works entirely independently on the iPad, but if you use TweetDeck on the desktop, as well, it might be worth registering with TweetDeck and getting an account (on top ofyour Twitter accounts). Doing that will let you sync across all your TweetDeck apps - essentially meaning that columns you set up on the desktop can be replicated on your iPad, and your iPhone, too, ifyou're rocking the whole Apple gadget line-up.

The iPad version of TweetDeck is really easy to use - and is probably more intuitive that its desktop cousin. However, it's icon-driven, so you may need to experiment with your tapping before you find some features. That is of course unless you read this tutorial, which should help you get started in no time. It's a deep app that rewards plenty of playing, though.




KIT LIST:

■ iPad

■ Internet connection

■ TweetDeck app, free from iTunes App Store

■ TweetDeck on your desktop required for syncing; free www.tweetdeck.com

Time required: 10 mins

Difficulty: Beginner

 Toolbar options

This toolbar gives you all your important functions. The figure silhouette lets you search Twitter, the cog takes you to settings, the circular arrow refreshes, and the '+' sign adds a column. Finally, the yellow button lets you post a tweet, as we're doing here.

Speak out

At any time in TweetDeck, you can hit the yellow icon in the top-right to post a tweet. If you have multiple Twitter accounts you can touch the name here to toggle between them.

Twitter tools

These buttons give you various Twitter options. You can bring up and choose from hashtags and '<§>' replies, and add pictures and locations.

 1 Blank canvas When you first launch TweetDeck you'll see a blank 'No Columns' message. Hit 'Twitter' in the middle of the screen to add an account.

 2 Get logged in Enter your details and tap 'Add' in the top-right. Once you're set up, you can add more accounts later, ifyou like, so that TweetDeck becomes your main app for Twitter.

 3 Play Columns Close the'Settings' screen. Then hit the'+' at the top-right. Use the arrows to select accounts and column types, then hit 'Add Column'.

 4 Tweet central You'll see the list of tweets as per your selections. Add more columns using the'+' button. To re-order your columns, tap and hold a column title.

 

5 Flick it Now you've got a few columns set up, you can flick between them. Tap one to zoom in on it. Tap the 'Columns' icon to choose another. To post a tweet, tap the yellow button (top-right).

Posting links 

 Twitter is a great way to share links with your friends, but URLs can take up too many of your 140 tweet characters. Bit.ly is a URL shortening site, and ifyou have an account, you can get TweetDeck to shorten URLs automatically. Sign up at http://bit.ly, then sign into your account in TweetDeck by tapping the cog icon and hitting 'Connect to Bit.ly'.

 6 View updates The circular arrow icon in the top-right of the screen updates your columns. Tap a column heading to set how often the column updates of its own accord.