Why I Quit Using TweetDeck

Why I Quit Using TweetDeck

Breaking News: Social media guru expert speaks heresy about popular 3rd party Twitter app!

That’s right, folks. I’m going to be the one person truly brave enough. I’ll point out something that has irked us social media types for quite some time, but too many are afraid to open their mouths. I’ve heard the grumblings long enough, so I’ll take the bullet for the team.

TweetDeck sucks!

Don’t you all feel so much better now?

Now, to all the non-believers clutching to your prehistoric ideologies circa August 2009, feel free to flame me in the comment section. I can take the heat. But before you stone me to death like a Salem witch, I will make these concessions:

Yes, I think TweetDeck is the “best” third party desktop application for using Twitter.
Yes, I know it handles multiple accounts and integrated with Facebook & Linkedin.
Yes, it’s awesome that you can drag/drop photos & movies and view within the program.
Yes, it has an increased API limit, infinite columns for lists and saved searches.
Yes, I’m aware that many seem to think TweetDeck is the greatest thing since sliced bread!

But does any of that matter when it grinds your computer to a halt after one hour of its usage?

I already know what’s coming, so save it. You’re going to explain the intricacies of an operating system, spew off mumbo-jumbo terms like registry hacks, memory leakage, CPU acceleration and ask “dude, why don’t you just install Windows 7? It’s awesome!”

That’s all well and good. I appreciate your willingness to help. But I’m not a total schmuck when it comes to computers… and if I can’t even figure out through all my stubbornness how to limit the application’s resources – then how great can it really be when 90%+ of the demographic using TweetDeck have even less of a clue than I do?

So, what am I using now to satisfy my Twitter addiction?

In true Arlen Spector fashion, here comes the flip-flop. As of this week, I am officially throwing all my support, however non-influential is is, to the web-based app CoTweet. It’s a pretty heavy piece of software geared primarily towards companies, but I have $8.35 in my Paypal account, so I guess I can be considered a “business”, right?

Only using this new application for a handful of days, I’m obviously in the infatuation stage of our relationship. What this means is soon you’ll see either one of these two things in the near future:

1. A blog post here soon reviewing CoTweet, singing its praises.
2. A retraction to this post next week as I sheepishly return to using TweetDeck.

Which one do you think it will be?

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  • BampaJohn
    Hey there. I just stopped using TweetDeck. I loved the thing. When it was working. It would stop updating, or an error would show up on he bottom stating something about twitter api not functioning. I got fed up. Back to HootSuite to me. Nice and simple and web based. I created new columns and junk from work, and they stuck when I logged in from home. Yep. Web based apps. Gotta love it.
  • Bro, if you claim to need 47 columns, get a real computer !
    I have about 30, and TweetDeck is not taking a dent into my ressources.
    MacPro 8 Core and 16Go of RAM, and I can take you to the moon if you wish.
  • Got off tweetdeck when they kept prompting for my user accounts even after integrating and also due to the same fact it slows down my PC. I'm on Hootsuite now. Glad to know you also use Vegas for video editing!
  • I don't know if I really "use" Sony Vegas, more than "attempt to get the simplest thing done and still end up getting baffled figuring it out with all the options"

    Sure, it takes a little extra time to edit a video because of its complexity - but I'd rather do that, learn more of the functions and then eventually be able to use it's full potential.
  • I have a few issues with TweetDeck but haven't noticed it taking up much resources on my computer actually. Then again my computer has issues besides TweetDeck or could it be because of? I'd better check into that now that I think about it.

    Never heard of CoTweet... Will check that one out.
  • Good move but I have not used cotweet then tweetdeck is still my #1
  • Oh Dear, I've just started using Tweetdeck. Now what? Thanks for the heads up. I will now keep my eyes open. Any funny shenanigans and Tweetdeck will be history
  • At least I know I am not alone. Not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. I want to stay in an intimate relationship with TweetDeck but I am finding it harder and harder to remain an agreeable partner to one that drives me nuts most of the day. That said, I hope TweetDeck will be able to work out their shortcomings and thrive for the future of social media because I think you're pretty cool TweetDeck and I don't wish failure upon anyone trying to do the right thing.
  • I think we're both in the same frame of mind, Angela. Like I said, I really do think TweetDeck is the best Twitter app out there and I loved using it. The fact that the shortcomings really hinder my specific purposes just means it's not the right solution for *me*. For those who only have 1-2 accounts, not many lists and don't need to run any resource-heavy applications on a regular basis - I'd give TweetDeck a big thumbs up and would recommend it.
  • I rarely use Twitter so of course I have strong opinions on it and this whole conversation about tweeting decks and co twittering and such.

    When is someone going to just come up with a cloud based intertwined twit thing that is multi-faceted, uses no resources and has the option to change colors based on our mood.

    Would something like that really be so hard for computer genius's to do???
  • I am actively testing different Twitter applications, but I always found myself going back to TweetDeck. But unlike Big.J there, I do run only one account, and at the moment I only use it primarily for Twitter (not so much for Facebook or LinkedIn).
  • Like I've said before man, CoTweet and Hootsuite are the best web-based Twitter clients out there in my opinion. I use to use CoTweet for quite some time but switched over to Hootsuite primarily because I can also post to Facebook and Linkedin.

    I have a good feeling that you'll be sticking with CoTweet unless you get tired of the whole web thing. And not to burst your bubble but I've already done a review of CoTweet. My advice: Don't make it as long and somewhat boring as mine, unless your audience mostly consists of horny Twitter addicts that get turned onto anything Twitter related ;-)
  • I use Twitter.com and Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo.
  • Can't we all just get along!!!
  • MRQ
    I like the fact that Tweetdeck is independent of my browser means I can keep up with Twitter without being anchored to having Firefox open whilst gaming. Yes the memory footprint could be smaller yadda yadda yadda.

    The key thing to pull out of all the talk and the comments is that there isn't a like for like replacement client if you're on a Windows based computer. It's either Tweetdeck or in some way or another browser related.

    If I had the money to waste I'd become an apple fanboy and either using the bigger selection available on Macbook or iPhone.

    So for now I'm stuck (through choice) with Tweetdeck :)
  • I used to like it for the same reason... I prefer an desktop app-based solution more than a browse-based one. It's always a pain in the ass to tab back & forth to check up on things in the dark while I play Football Manager 2010 (my game of choice).
  • I quit using tweetdeck too. It kept crashing my system. I have been using hootsuite but I am going to check out cotweet!
  • HootSuite is the man! Stats, scheduled tweets, multi-user, multi platform, tabs....I could say more but I getting ready to record a new podcast now. Choi!
  • allaserik
    How bout twitterrific?
  • Richard's reply is not uncommon of the Tweetdeck staff, from my experience. They are very helpful and accommodating, which is a tremendous credit to their devotion to improving their product. While I have not had problems since updating to the latest version, I did have some problems getting it to run initially. But after posting my thoughts on my problems on my blog Tweetdeck came rushing to my aid.

    Fantastic customer service. Thanks guys!
  • Thanks for your kind words Kevin, much appreciated.
    We're a small team doing our best to give you guys the best product possible, backed up with great customer service. It's not always easy, so its always good to hear a success story :)

    Cheers
    Richard
  • I have tried to leave Tweetdeck, but I always come back. I have tried CoTweet and I never could get my replies or mentions to show, plus the fact that I have to click to a different screen to see anything other than my friends updates, so that was a turn off for me. I like Hootsuite better because of the ability to have lists, replies and the regular stream open on the same page.

    But I still end up back at tweetdeck everytime.....

    Get a new computer man!
  • Hey there,

    I guess I should give you a box with all the stuff you left at our place then. Old tweets from the coffeee table...Twitpics of you and TweetDeck sharing happy times together....A toothbrush you left in the corner of a search column....

    But seriously, it's a shame you've chosen to move on.
    Being Adobe AIR-based gives any app a pretty big memory footprint and we are constantly improving our code to ensure that we dont needlessly add to this. I'd be interested to know just how much memory it was using on your machine. We dont have many people using _quite_ so many columns, so this kind of information would be valuable to us, certainly.

    As for the mistaken account selections, we know folk often get the wrong account and this is why we are currently redesigning this area of the application. Asian bondage porn should be a lot less-easily shared from now on.

    And finally the scrolling...well, yes, with 47 columns, thats a LOT of scrolling! But this is one of the reasons why we recently introduced the Column Navigator. This is the row of bars at the bottom of the screen that lets you easily click to jump to any column. You do have v0.33.2 don't you? We will also be introducing other UI improvements soon that will make managing lots of columns even easier.

    So hey, we are sorry to see you go, but totally respect your decision. Who knows, maybe one day we can get back together and relive the good old days. If you want to talk this through, ping me on Twitter (@richardbarley) and I'd be more than happy to chat. No need for lawyers, we can still be friends :)

    Cheers
    Richard Barley
    TweetDeck Community Manager
  • Really awesome to see you reach out like this Richard... Proves that you guys know what you're doing (monitoring the web / social media, and connecting with people). Those who do it like you do are the ones who come on top in the end. All the best (and thanks for great Twitter app!)
  • Richard, I first off want to say that it's amazing you're out and about in the blogosphere actively engaging with users - I seriously did not expect to see anyone from TweetDeck reply here. (especially in such detail and with a sense of humor, no less!)

    I understand the issues with Adobe AIR so I know TD isn't fully to blame. Yes, I do use a lot of columns (typically 23 most of the time) which is more than usual, but between 3 accounts, I really need things sorted this way for organization sakes. Depending on how long the program is being run, it can take up to around 250-300mb of resources. Combine that with commonly having having Skype, MSN, Thunderbird and several tabs of Chrome open, it really does slow things down to a halt sometimes.

    I have tried out the newest version though and know why you guys included the column navigator. For my tastes, it still really isn't enough for me. I would prefer as much information I can get on one screen right in front of me - even if it's smaller and abridged. I don't mind clicking on more things to expand them, but the scrolling side to side & up and down really gets to me after a while. But who knows, maybe I not in the norm?

    As you already can tell, the vitriol in the post is purely in jest. Compared to other popular solutions, TweetDeck really is on top of the pack - it just doesn't suit my purposes with the user interface anymore at this time.

    CoTweet isn't necessarily better, but in using it the past week, I've found myself being much more productive in my Twitter usage, easier to track a hundred different conversations and it streamlining into my business processes much more effectively.

    I'm totally willing to get back together though... I'll keep an eye out on future versions and will come running if TweetDeck offers the solutions I need in my Twitter client!
  • angela siekman
    I run 4 accounts currently and have hmm let me see how many columns...around 20-23.
  • Hey Jordan, thanks for the reply. I love to get engaged with the community in situations like this and try to keep things cool; Life's too short to get too stressed about this stuff don't you think? :)

    Sounds like we still have a bit of work to do to make TweetDeck your ideal client again, but we have a lot of things in the works which will hopefully get us back into that top slot.

    Do let me know if you ever have any more questions, complaints or whatever about TweetDeck. I'm always keen to hear feedback of whatever kind.

    Hope you enjoy CoTweet - I'll keep your favourite seat warm over here, just in case you come back soon :)

    Cheers
    Richard
  • Great post.

    I use to be a big fan of TweetDeck. I switched to Hootsuite for about 60%. Mostly Hootsuite on my laptop, at work, and at school. When I working on my production laptop I use TweetDeck on my Windows 7 Desktop and I have 1 large widescreen LCD dedicated to TweetDeck. Since I can Re-size my columns and make them smaller so I can see everything. I haven't had any memory issues....yet. But I still prefer Hootsuite. I Think I will look at CoTweet.
  • Real men just use Twitter.
  • You are right about the memory usage. TweetDeck uses more than 140MB (Followed by Firefox!).

    I have switched many clients in the past due the same reason. BUT, I always end up coming back to TweetDeck! :D I guess you would be doing that "sheepishly returning" thing soon too ;-)
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