Spiff up your Twitter profile with photos, video
As a frequent Twitter user, there's nothing more appealing to me than checking out the photos and videos that the people I'm following publish in their Twitter timelines. It makes the experience a little more rich.
That's precisely why I wanted to write this roundup. Why only write text in Twitter? Why not share multimedia content? If you're like me, you'll want to do just that. So take a look at some of these services and let's work together at making Twitter just a little more fun to use.
Be entertained
Ffwd Video-sharing site Ffwd allows people to share their favorite videos with Twitter followers.
When you get to Ffwd, you can view a host of videos on several topics. When you find something you like, Ffwd provides a "Share to Twitter" option. When you click that, your update box will be populated with a standard tweet and a link to the video. You can change it before you send it out. It's a nice service, but given the fact that there are many more videos on YouTube (which also lets you share content on Twitter), it might not be your first option.
Ffwd populates your update box with a link and message.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Flickr If you're a Flickr user, the Yahoo-owned site allows you to show off your images on Twitter with the help of a unique Flickr URL.
In order to syndicate your content to Flickr, you first need to authorize it on your account through the "blog this" pane. Once Twitter is authorized, you can share any of your Twitter images with Flickr. I tried out the service, and it worked relatively well. The site provides users with a unique shortened Flickr URL for an image. That said, Flickr hides the "tweet" button under the "blog this" option. It's a little annoying. I would have liked to have more convenient access to it. Either way, it might be worth trying out if you're a frequent Flickr user.
Flickr makes it somewhat difficult to add photos to Twitter.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)TwitPic If you're looking for the most popular way to share your favorite photos on Twitter, TwitPic is the way to do it.
When you first start using TwitPic, you'll need only to input your Twitter credentials. From there, upload an image, add some text to go along with it, and send a tweet to your followers. That tweet will then show up in your timeline, allowing users to click on the TwitPic link to view your image. The site gives you a tally of how many people have viewed your images, as well as a place for folks to comment. TwitPic is simple, it's convenient, and thanks to its popularity, it's trusted by Twitter users. It's a must-see.
TwitPic shows off your pics and lets you see a tally of viewers.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)TwitVid When photos just aren't enough, you can try out TwitVid. That service allows you to upload videos to the site and share them on Twitter.
TwitVid works just like TwitPic. Simply go to the site, input your Twitter credentials, and upload your video. In my experience, it does take a little while for videos to upload, so beware of that. Once the video is uploaded, you can input a message and send that tweet over to Twitter. Your followers will see your tweet and a TwitVid link, which they can click on and view the video clip. It's one of the best ways to share video content on Twitter.
I should also note that the site lets you record video from your computer's Webcam, which is a welcome addition. (See more information on TwitVid here.)
TwitVid lets you upload video or record via Webcam.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Vidly Vidly might not have the name-recognition that TwitVid enjoys, but thanks to a nice design, I preferred it over the more popular service.
When you first get to Vidly, you have the option of uploading a video or recording a clip with your Webcam. I tried recording a clip via my Webcam and was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked. I was able to record up to 10 seconds of content. From there, I was given the option of syndicating that video to Twitter. When you do so, you can see how many times the video has been viewed. Users can also comment on videos.
Vidly has one of the best features in online video I've seen in quite a while: a "turn the lights off" option. When you click it, all the content around the video your watching is turned to dark. It makes the video far more watchable. It's a really nice feature.
Vidly getting ready to record via Webcam.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Yfrog Yfrog is another trusted picture service designed for Twitter users. Like TwitPic, you need only to upload an image, input a message, and send that tweet to your Twitter profile.
When a user clicks on the Yfrog link in your timeline, they can comment on it right in Yfrog. They can also reply to or retweet your message from within the site. It's a nice option that many picture-related sites don't offer. If you want, you (and viewers, for that matter) can share your images to other social networks like Facebook and MySpace. Overall, I liked Yfrog, but I didn't find it as useful as a service like TwitPic. It's a close second, though.
Yfrog gives you several options with your image.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)YouTube When you're watching a video on YouTube, you have the option of sharing it with your followers on Twitter.
Just below the video in YouTube, you'll find three options: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter. When you choose Twitter, the site automatically populates your update box with the name of the video, followed by a link. It doesn't automatically update your status, so you can change the message yourself. YouTube's Twitter integration is one of the most useful of any service in this roundup. Why find difficult ways to share videos? Just click the YouTube option and you're all set. Check it out.
Click that Twitter button to share videos you're watching.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)My top 3
1. Vidly: I was really impressed by Vidly. Definitely try it out.
2. TwitPic: It's simply the best way to bring photos to Twitter.
3. TwitVid: It's not Vidly, but it also a neat service that will help you bring video to the social network.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
