And The (Personal Browser) Winner Is:

Let me begin with a recap.  One month ago, I embarked on an experiment into my world of social networking.  Please note that I used the word my--my world of social networking.  I had realized that I was losing valuable time to Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.  I realized that much of the content that Facebook and Myspace offered were a complete and utter waste of time to me--I don't care what Super Hero I would be or how toilet paper should be unrolled.  I don't care what Super Hero you would be or about your toilet paper preferences. Etc.

So, I began by deleting some friends.  That came after a lot of thought and even a few conversations.  I deleted a handful of folks I was not really connected to, and a few people who--no nice way to say this--annoy the dickens out of me in social network circles.  I just don't have the time or energy for some of those connections.  So... buh-bye!  I'm not likely done with the de-friending, either.  But I'll save that for a later rant.

Next, I researched personal browsers.  I looked pretty closely at five of them.  Three of them I gave extensive trials.  I found that they ALL helped me tremendously.  I found that they ALL saved me considerable time.  I found that they ALL helped me stay informed and connected, but also to maintain a healthy balance.  My conclusion: Social networking for me (notice I said me) needs to include the use of personal browsers.

I looked at Seesmic first.  Here were my initial thoughts posted one month ago today.  Check this out: Just after I posted that initial review of Seesmic I got a Tweet from them, thanking me for my review and telling me they were working on the couple of items I complained about.  I chocked that up to their PR department and bots doing a good job.  But, a couple of weeks later I heard from Seesmic again, alerting me to an update that specifically addressed my complaints.  Too cool!  I downloaded their updated version.  Voila!  It works.  And the fixes are totally awesome.  Seesmic does the best job of all in listening to their public and communicating with them.  They put out videos explaining the changes.  Great stuff.  I am thrilled with Seesmic.

Next, I worked with PeopleBrowsr.  Here were my initial thoughts.  I actually gave PeopleBrowser two looks--the one I blogged about, and then a second go-round a week later.  I found their product to be good and effective.  PeopleBrowsr gave me a string of silly little nuisances, however.  One day it wouldn't load up and run.  I'd restart it, then it would work.  I had a couple of times when it froze on me.  A couple of days when it ran slow.  Strange.  I concluded that it's a great tool, but I got tired of fooling with it for those distractions.  Again, much of my aim was to save time.  These issues cost me time. 

Finally, I went back to TweetDeck.  (I did look at HootSuite and a handful of other web-based browser tools, but decided I wanted a download product.)  I say that I went back to TweetDeck because I had been using an early form of it for a couple of months prior to my experiment.  Since I had begun my experiment, TweetDeck added new features.  They added the ability to track multiple accounts.  They added the ability to selectively post.  They added filter and sorting options.  All very cool, and very helpful to me in saving time.

I am going to use both Tweetdeck and Seesmic going forward.  I like them both.  Both meet my needs.  Both save me time.  I highly recommend them both.

Now, back to those friend lists...

Technorati Tags: Interactive Sermon,TweetDeck,Seesmic,PeopleBrowsr

Comments

[Sharon Havens]

Geez...I thought I was going to find out if ding dongs or devil dogs won :-(

[Darin]

I like them both, too!