HootSuite

If you’re really serious about Twitter, you need some comparably serious features to keep track of your account. HootSuite is a free tool that combines a number of important resources for professional twitterers. If you need to manage more than one Twitter account in one place, HootSuite’s got you covered. If you have more than one person tweeting from the same Twitter account, you can also use HootSuite to manage editors for the account. HootSuite’s “Dashboard” lets you type your tweet, schedule the tweet for later if you want, and include an in-line short URL via HootSuite’s ow.ly service, complete with the ability to track how many people click the link. You can drag a handy “Hootlet” button to your browser’s bookmark toolbar to give you one-click tweeting of the webpage you’re browsing with a ow.ly short URL. The best part? No downloads necessary, as HootSuite is web-based software. A HootSuite iPhone application also is available.