There are some apps that you can use to customize Twitter for your purposes. Some are web-based, while others are third-party clients that can be downloaded to your computer. Twitter has made it easy to find apps. At the bottom of the Twitter page, you can see a series of links. One says Widgets or Apps. If you know the web address of the app’s site, you can use that as well.

There are mobile apps for your smartphone, web-based apps, and desktop apps. We’ll take a look at a few from each category just to give you an idea of ​​what’s out there. From that, you should be able to get a good idea of ​​what you’re looking for in a Twitter app and find one with your preferred features.

Mobile

Twitter for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch/Android/Blackberry: These apps broadcast Twitter in real time, just like the website does. These apps are free to download and use from their respective app stores.

Twitterific: This was Twitter for iPhone before Twitter for iPhone was. It is the first Twitter app to hit the iPhone app store. Their motto has been “Twitterific puts Twitter in your pocket.” With the iPhone, it actually does. Includes a link shortening and tweet translation service. You can use it to filter your Twitter stream to specific types of tweets. The app is universal for iPhone and iPad. The initial application itself is free. However, you can get an in-app purchase of Twitterific Premium for $4.99, which will remove ads and allow you to manage more than one account.

ecofon: This Twitter app also has a clean interface. The starter app is free with the option of a $4.99 in-app purchase from Ecofon Pro. In addition to streaming, it allows you to mute users and hashtags, as well as preview images, videos, etc., in your stream so you can decide if you’re interested before looking at the links.

Feather: This Android-based Twitter app was formerly known as Touiteur. When Twitter complained about its name, it was changed to Plume. It also allows you to preview media before you commit to watching it. It allows you to manage more than one account and “color” your stream. It has a free version and a paid version ($2.99).

TweetDeck: TweetDeck was once a third-party app, but is now part of Twitter. It works with Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Google Buzz. Allows you to change the vibration, sound, and color alerts you receive for your notifications. (As a side note, there’s also TweetDeck for iPhone.) This is a free app.

ubertwitter: This app is available for free on Blackberry App World. Other than Twitter for Blackberry (discussed below), this seems to be the most popular Twitter for Blackberry app available. It has a clean interface, allows you to edit retweets before sending them, and speech bubbles on the friends/mentions page.

BlackberryTwitter: This app is also available for free on Blackberry App World. It promotes the ability to stay connected to the people and information that matter most to you. Broadcast Twitter in real time. As a side note for Blackberry users, it has been reported that there will be a Blackberry version of TweetDeck soon, so stay tuned.

web-based

social drive: This application offers free and paid services. Basic services include tweet scheduling, keyword tracking, link shortening, and deleting all your direct messages at once. Additional features include extending and protecting your Twitter profile, saving and reusing drafts, and managing multiple accounts. The site has a simple interface that makes it easy to register, log in and use the site. Additional features you can get for a fee include automating following new followers, visiting new followers’ profiles, and direct messaging new followers. However, I advise against opting for any automatic DM sending service.

HootSuite: This site advertises itself as a “Social Media Control Panel”. It supports several different social networking sites, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ping, MySpace, FourSquare, WordPress, and Mixi. It has a basic option, which is free, and professional options, for $5.99 per month. You can view multiple streams for each account you include. For example, with your Twitter account, you can see the main stream, mentions, direct messages received, direct messages sent, tweets you sent, and scheduled tweets. It also offers tools so you can check your statistics. However, some of these tools are only available in HootSuite Pro. There are also Firefox and Chrome extensions and plugins that can be installed. Additionally, there are also some options for downloadable desktop apps.

Buffer: Buffer is a free web application that works with both Twitter and Facebook. If you don’t have anything to say, you can click “Suggest an update” and it will auto-populate one for you. They usually say something about using Buffer or give a quote. You establish the times that you want your tweets to pass. However, you can only schedule one tweet per time slot. The purpose of this is so that you don’t flood your followers with tweets and links if you choose to use it.

Twitter feed: Import your blogs to your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other accounts with Twitterfeed. It’s free to sign up. You need to know the address of your blog’s RSS feed. Give your feed a name. Don’t make it too long because it counts in your 140 characters that Twitter gives you. Enter the address of the feed and click “continue”. You will need to authenticate your account with Twitter in order for Twitterfeed to have permission to publish the feed to your account. Click on “create service”. It will take you back to the top of the page so you can add additional accounts if you want. If not, click “All done.” The next page gives you a confirmation of the information you have entered. If everything is correct, go to Control Panel so you can track your results.

Desk

TweetDeck: TweetDeck is a third-party platform that streams tweets the way you want. It can have one or more columns. A typical setup has columns for your main Twitter feed, friends, direct messages, and any hashtag searches you’re running. The design is on a black background with a white print. You must install Adobe Air, free from http://www.adobe.com, for it to work.

dig: Digsby is a cross-platform and multi-function application. Allows feeds and ads from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. It also collects your email and chat features, such as ICQ.

sesmic: Seesmic is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems. It has similar functionality to TweetDeck with multiple columns that allow you to customize how you want to use it.

There are plenty of other third-party desktop, web-based, and mobile Twitter apps besides the ones we’ve mentioned here. The one that is best for you is the one that is easiest for you to use. Personally, I prefer to use Twitter directly on the website. You may prefer one of the other options discussed here or even another one you find.

The idea is to make it as easy to use for you how can it be