Inside The Twitter App

There are plenty of third-party option Is to moose from, but the official Twitter app is still the best way to share your 140 characters with the world.

With numerous excellent Twitter client apps already on release the official Twitter application has some strong competition to beat, but it does so with ease. Unlike the much-criticised official Facebook application, it would appear that the developers have matched visuals with functionality and delivered an app that is pleasing to the eye without being overly complex to use. As you dig beneath the glossy surface you will soon discover a quick and easy-to-use app that offers everything a fan could want.

Millions of people use Twitter, whether it’s the sublime musings of Stephen Fry, the hilarious rantings of Rainn Wilson or the chilling emptiness of the latest consumer product, it seems like we don’t share information any more, we Tweet. The mass adoption of this quickform of social networking explains the huge array of Twitter clients that litter the App Store. Some are a good, most are bad but only one is official.

Having downloaded the Twitter application and signed in using your account login, the differences between this and the popular web version are instantly apparent. To accommodate the iPad’s display the interface now has a single column instead of the multi-columned design familiar to web users. A hub menu now offers direct access to the various options available, such as Timeline, Mentions, Lists, Messages, Profile, and Search.

Selecting Timeline will bring up your Tweets and those of the users you are following, which can be scrolled with a quick downward swipe. If you spot a Tweet that catches your eye, tap it to open the Twitter page for that user in a new window, displaying their latest Tweet with the message specific related information such as Timeline, profile details or web link displayed below.

The re-thinking of this mobile version manages to avoid many of the usual pitfalls. No features have been removed nor functionality limited, and in many ways the iPad interface is actually preferable to the web version.

This point is perfectly made by this simple addition; highlight any single Tweet and swipe to the left, and you can access a secondary menu allowing you to reply, re-Tweet, favourite, share and view the profile of the Tweeter. This fantastic improvement quickens interaction while bringing a more fluid feel to the user interface. Sadly this brings us to one of the few flaws; when viewed in landscape the screen can get a little crowded and untidy, especially when the keyboard is also displayed. Luckily composing a Tweet or a re-Tweet is a breeze in portrait view and manageable in landscape. Simply tap the New Tweet icon on the upper right of the screen to bring up the keyboard and a blank Tweet pane to fill with your 140 characters of wisdom. The original Timeline or Tweet also remains on screen to help you keep on topic. From this screen you can also upload photos, Geotag your posts with your current location or Tweet directly to one or more of your followers or those you are following.

Users with multiple accounts can switch between them with ease, although this does require a separate sign-in to access, again taking inspiration from its web-based counterpart. Without question the ability to use Twitter to its full potential has been taken out of the home. Further benefits that tip the scales in favour of this app include, all content text, images or videos that are uploaded or linked from user accounts, are now gloriously displayed via the new iPad’s 2048×1536 HD screen. Viewing videos and images or visiting websites can now all be achieved from within the app and without the need to open a third party applications and slow down the process. The official Twitter app for iPad is certainly worthy of your attention and a place on your home screen. Although there is little here in the way of revolution – this is Twitter after all — the functionality, design, user-friendly control and overall ease of use combine to bring the complete Twitter package to a portable device and out of the home.

Using the Twitter app.

Follow this guide to get started with your Twitter account and the official application on your iPad.
From installation and searching for users, to Tweeting your latest thoughts or opinions, we have got the core uses covered, although it may take more than 140 characters…

STEP 1 Getting Started.

Upon opening this app for the first time you will greeted with a lot of information but don’t panic. On the left you will notice the categories that your fellow Tweeters fall under. The central area displays a search bar at the top,enabling you to search for specific content in posts.

Below this are the “Sign In’ and “Sign Up” buttons and finally links to the most popular “Trending” topics of the moment.

STEP 2 Signing Up/In For Twitter.

If you are new user, you can sign up for an account by tapping the relevant button and entering the requested information, and thus confirming your details through the linked email

address. Having completed the sign up you can now search your iPad’s contacts list to directly link to their Twitter accounts of simply browse categories of personal interest, if you see any areas of interest simply click the “follow” button on the right side of the link to follow this user.

STEP 3 Following Users.

If you wish to follow a specific user, enter their name into the search bar to locate them, then if you require more information before following, a guick tap on their info bar will bring up their full profile and their Timeline. Again if you are interested in following this user simply tap the follow button. If you have an existing account, simply sign in and you will be taken to your main page, with your current Timeline displayed and various options on the menu hub below.

STEP 4 The Timeline.

Having signed into your account, you will notice that you have a six options available.The default display for the main screen is your Timeline.This shows the Tweets of the users you are following and any Tweets you have made yourself, flowing downward based upon the time the comment was posted. Scroll down this list by gesturing downward on the pane. To focus on a single Tweet simply tap the screen to open the relevant link.

STEP 5 Further Options.

Your remaining options are Mentions, which is a list of any posts that contain your user name in them; Messages, which are any private messages that have been sent to you from other users; Lists, which group together similar themes or users you are following; Profile, which lets you edit your profile or upload a new avatar, and Search, which lets you search for a use theme or item to reveal any Tweets on that subject. All searches can be saved and accessed from this link.

STEP 6 Settings explained.

The Settings option enables you to personalise your Twitter experience when you are offline, or to remove your account. To do the latter and close your account, simply hit your user name and tap the “Remove Account” button. Notifications configures the Push messages that alert you to the arrival of personal messages, mentions and replies to your previous. Advanced settings control the quality and delivery of images and video; we advise you to leave these on their default settings.

STEP 7 Tweeting explained.

To “Tweet” tap the new message icon, the same icon used when emailing or instant messaging, to reveal the “New Tweet” pane at the top of the screen and the keyboard at the bottom. Enter your thoughts and press “Send” to add the comment to your Timeline. The four icons on the right side of this pane are used as follows. The @ icon enables you to direct a comment at a specific user you are following. The # symbol directs your Tweet at a specific topic thread. The camera icon allows you to attach an image to your Tweet and the arrow symbol adds a Geotag to yourTweet, which shows you location when the comment was made.

STEP 8 ReTweeting And Quoting.

To ReTweet or to Quote a post from another user, which will be added to your Timeline at the point you ReTwe eted or Quoted not when the post was originally made, open the user pane and tap the two arrows icon from the four located next to the user name. When quoting the user comment will be attributed to your personal account and sent out to all of your followers, while when ReTweeting the comment will remain that of the original poster and remain in your Timeline only. Twitter is now yours to enjoy.

Inside The Twitter App