Topify and Twimailer, two twitter email clients to cure the FOMO?

Whatever is your use of twitter (or your non-use) there are at least five steps in the secret life of any twitterer (or non-twitterer).

1. You even don't know the service exists.
2. By fault of a friend, an article or sin of curiosity, you discover it with puzzlement.
3. You hate it and don't understand the point.
4. You persevere and become addict /or you still hate it and return to step one until you become addict. Never say never. One day, it will come. You'll remember me ;-)
5. You calm down and look for tools to improve your user experience because you now suffer from the FOMO!

Such is (twitter) life.

We, wise and/or addicted twitterers, have waited ages -- you know, on the Internet, 2 years are ages -- for a better email solution and now, tadam, two come along at the same time !

Choice is the worse poison, but it's fun to compete :-)

So, yesterday, I've tested Twimailer and Topify in every way you can use them on twitter.
Here is what you can get with both.
Click on the pic to enlarge if necessary.

Note : Be aware that both services are in an early stage or in beta.
So, all that was there yesterday may have changed today and will probably evolve tomorrow.

Note: None of both will send you @ messages. If you're interested into receive them via email you can set alerts with tweetbeep. You won't receive @ messages from protected accounts though.

Attitude on twitter is also important to me as a user. twimailer is a nice service, but following none of  its user is not a good way. Even worse when you don't offer a support address mail or service.

I sent a message just saying I was testing both services and asking followers for help.

I received an answer from @topify in a minute. Nothing till this moment from @twimailer I am following too ...

So here's my own view about both services:

Continue reading "Topify and Twimailer" »

• If you are looking for an intimate use of twitter, logged on the site as you would use an instant messager, try Twimailer. Topify won't give you the feeling of closeness that provides consulting your DM on the website. In this case, you're not looking for an email solution. Twimailer will bring you just the comfort you need.
• If you are a beginner on twitter, try Twimailer. It's a nice and fluid service that will provide a better experience than official mails sent by twitter, while forcing you to learn how to use basics features of twitter.
  Then, you will become an addict and then, you will need a higher level. You will be ready to use Topify!

• If you are a twitter addict or a wise advanced user, if you received many DMs, many followers requests, behind your computer or on the go, forget twimailer, prefer Topify.

• If you are a brand, a service, a company that uses twitter as a way to stay in touch with your customers, idem.
  
  And run before they charge the big accounts that receive a lot of DM and followers requests ;-)
  I'm just kidding. I've no info about how they would monetize the service. I even don't know if they have thought about it. In fact, I think they build Topify because they couldn't find a solution to their problem, which is one of many twitterers: how to manage easily your twitter account through your email and on the go. And they did it! Greatly.

Well, you understand that I'm already fan of the confort Topify offers. Anyway, despite the very good, there's also the bad and the improvable:

The very good:

1. You receive in your inbox a full profile of each new follower. Bio, location, site, number of updates, follower/following, since when they are on twitter etc
2. Except when you've got a protected update account, you can follow them back in a click: send a blanck email and you're done.
3. You can reply directly from your email to a DM, protected account or not.
4. You receive the confirmation that your message has been sent.
5. You've got a real customer service both on twitter and Get satisfaction. Plus a quick and friendly access to @topify.
6. Managing your twitter account on the go via a mobile phone (specially from an iPhone) with Topify is simply extraordinary, top, great, brilliant.

The ugly bad: You need to give your password to access the service.
As the service is created by @arikfr and @ourielohayon I did it. I wouldn't have on twimailer, because I don't know who is running the service. Anyway, as for today, Twimailer doesn't ask for it.

I'm sure a solution will be found out to avoid this. Friendfeed made a key, FaceBook has FaceBook connect, twitter might be thinking about something. Could Open ID be a solution?

The improvable:
I really love to say "I would this, you should do that" without providing a solution. Hey guys, I'm not a dev, I'm a user ;-)

1. You need to change your email settings on twitter site and replace your current email address by your personal Topify address. That's not a big deal, but it would be better to avoid this step.
2. You need to take care about the 140 characters limits by yourself when you reply to your DMs via your email. It would be nice to have a box or something that helps to stay within the limits.
3. When, later, you use a twitter client, as twhirl for exemple, the messages you sent don't appear. That's not specific to topify. Twhirl only show messages you sent via twhirl. A solution to change that bad point with twhirl would be nice when you've got poor memory and no time to check on twitter site or in emails what you previously sent ;-)
4. When you've got a protected account, you can't accept or deny a follower request, nor follow back. Come on guys, you can do it ;-)

And now the most important question answered. Does Topify cure the FOMO?
Yes, sir, it does ;-)

Thanks to @shamir, @jberrebi, @topify, @cokies, @francoismonney and @tmycann who helped me in this test.