HelloTxt - Making Microblogging Quicker And Easier
by
on October 19, 2007,
HelloTxt is a service that is very good at what it does, which actually isn't very much at all. But it's useful and easy, which counts for a lot.
Microblogging has exploded in popularity across the web with several different, but very similar, services now available. Although Twitter and Pownce are quite simple to use, anyone who has an account at both (or even at others such as Jaiku) knows how frustrating and time-consuming it can be to post the same message at each.
This is where HelloTxt, which just launched in public beta last week, comes in to provide one interface where users can update any (or all) of their microblogging accounts at one time. Twitter, Jaiku, Yappd, Meemi, Beemood and Tumblr make up the 6 services currently supported.
Despite being based in Italy, the developers of HelloTxt opted to provide the service in English to make the service usable by as large an audience as possible. This helps explain the poorly translated information available and also the company blog, which is entirely in Italian.
Visiting the homepage takes users straight to the messaging box to start typing instantly. To the right, there is a sidebar with each of the services listed with a check box beside for users to select the accounts they would like to update. Putting a check in any of the boxes then displays the login form that that service, so users may be logged in to all accounts prior to posting a message.
Disappointing news right now is the fact that Pownce is not supported. “Initially Pownce was inserted between services for the launch, had everything ready [but] their servers were and are still too slow.” Rest assured, however, that it will eventually be offered as the HelloTxt team has expressed that this is just not one of their “absolute priorities.” Additionally, other microblogging services will be added as HelloTxt grows, including Hictu, GoZub, Soup.io, and Emotionr.
In the future, also look for HelloTxt to expand as developers have already announced plans for an Adobe AIR-based desktop client, a Firefox extension, and even a dashboard widget for users of Mac OS X, but that won't be until after the top needs and priorities of HelloTxt are addressed as it progresses through the development stages. “Our main objective was safety first, then the stability of the system, [and then] the integration of new services,” mentioned Raffaele Rasini on the HelloTxt blog. “But it is our priority not to be bound to other web platforms.”
If you are into microblogging at more that one service on the web, then HelloTxt is a blessing that will take out the repetition often involved. You will never have to visit the individual homepages of these microblogging services again… unless if to add friends.
