Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Social enterprise

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

By Jack Wallen November 28, 2012, 12:19 AM PST

Image
1
of 10

a1_sobees_1.png
a1_sobees_1.png
Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Sobees 1

Sobees 1

ntThis photo gallery is also available as a post in the Five Apps Blog.

n

ntBusinesses cannot escape the fact that social networking has become a necessity. Not only to spread the word about your product or service, but for keeping your own finger on the pulse of the consumers in your market. It’s free PR with serious payoff.

n

ntHere’s the problem – the standard browser-based clients don’t always offer all of the features you might want or need. From aggregation to easy photo posting, in order to make the most efficient use of your social networking efforts, you need clients that make the job easy. I have found five desktop social networking clients that are not only easy, but free too.

n

ntnn

n

ntFive Apps

n

nt1. Sobees

n

ntSobees is an incredibly powerful tool that not only allows you to update your status across multiple account types (or multiple Twitter accounts), it also offers a powerful search tool, and even allows you to edit the layout of the client. The ability to assign different social networking accounts to different sections of your layout, makes Sobees really stand out.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Sobees 2

Sobees 2

ntIt can also be viewed in columns or in tabs. Finally, Sobees allows you to update all of your accounts in one go. Sobees is available for Windows only.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Tweetdeck 1

Tweetdeck 1

nt2. Tweetdeck

n

ntTweetdeck is one of the most popular Twitter desktop clients available and there’s a reason for that. Tweetdeck allows you to schedule tweets, manage multiple Twitter accounts, manage your facebook accounts, and get notified about new activity instantly.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Tweetdeck 2

Tweetdeck 2

ntTweetdeck also allows you to customize the interface and automatically shorten URLs. The client is available for Windows, Mac OS, and as a Chrome extension. Tweetdeck is free and is no longer based on Adobe Air.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Gwibber 1

Gwibber 1

nt3. Gwibber

n

ntGwibber is a Linux-only desktop client that allows you to monitor and update Twitter, Facebook, Google, Identi.ca, Digg, and Flikr.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Gwibber 2

Gwibber 2

ntWhat is unique about Gwibber is that it integrates seamlessly into the desktop notification system. Gwibber features URL shortening, theming, multi-column user interface, combined stream for all accounts, persistent message caching, a built-in search tool, and optional support for integrated spell checking.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Google Talk 1

Google Talk 1

nt4. Google Talk

n

ntGoogle Talk is a desktop client built specifically for the chat service for Google. This particular client allows you to enjoy text and voice chat, file transfer, audio conferencing, a video chat addon, follow friends status and location, and seamless integration with your Gmail account.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

Google Talk 2

Google Talk 2

ntGoogle Talk is available on Windows XP or higher and it is free but requires a Google account for usage.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

MetroTwit 1

MetroTwit 1

nt5. MetroTwit

n

ntMetroTwit is a Windows-only Twitter client that offers a desktop client for Windows XP/Vista/7 as well as a Windows 8 Metro version. With MetroTwit you can be notified when someone retweets you, follows you, marks a tweet as a favorite, and adds you to a list.

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Five free social networking tools for the desktop

MetroTwit 2

MetroTwit 2

ntMetroTwit also allows you to set up filters to follow specific hashtags and keywords to help you block out unnecessary clutter. And with support for Twitter’s streaming API, MetroTwit allows you to follow discussions in real time.

n

ntBottom line

n

ntThe streams of data generated by social networks fly by at blinding speeds. Having the proper tools that allow you to keep your business on top of social networking will keep you one step ahead of the competition. Each of these tools offers something unique, but more importantly they make your integration with social networking far easier than just the basic web-based tools. Give these tools a chance to see if one of them will make social networking as important to your business as it should be.

n

ntAlso read:

n

    nt

  • ntt10 ways to use social networking tools to promote your business
  • nt

  • nttNext wave of social networking tools
  • nt

  • ntt10 things you should consider before launching a social media marketing campaign
  • n

n

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

  • Social enterprise
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Five free social networking tools for the desktop

    Your email has been sent

Share: Five free social networking tools for the desktop
Image of Jack Wallen
By Jack Wallen
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.
  • Account Information

    Contact Jack Wallen

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Jack's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Best of Confluent Current 2023: The State of Data Streaming

    TechRepublic Premium was at Confluent’s Current 2023 event, held in San Jose, California, September 26-27. Our coverage of the event comprises an analysis of data streaming, interviews, the role of stream governance and a look at Apache Flink. From the download: Confluent used the Current 2023 ‘next generation of Kafka Summit’ event in San Jose ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Quick Glossary: Fintech

    Fintech is a fast changing landscape that constantly introduces cutting-edge ideas and developments. TechRepublic Premium presents this quick glossary of fintech terms and concepts to help you understand technological breakthroughs and make educated decisions. From the glossary: DECENTRALIZED FINANCE Often referred to as DeFi, this utilizes emerging technology to remove third parties and central financial ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 8:52 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Anti-Money Laundering Policy

    Money laundering poses a detrimental impact on businesses and the economy as a whole. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, the amount of money laundered around the world in a single year is presumed to be 2–5% of global GDP, which is roughly $800 billion to $2 trillion. The purpose of ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 9:14 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Hiring Kit: Video Game Audio Engineer

    Modern video games rely on a cornucopia of sounds to engage and engross players. Whether it is ambient sound to set the mood, music to invoke a feeling or dialog to tell the story, sound is vital to the immersive experience of a video game. The individual responsible for meshing all those disparate sounds together ...

    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 10:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice