Twitterface, “a web-based, personally-branded, multi-account Twitter interface”, launched its public beta on July 1.  Being a bit of a Twitter addict, I felt compelled to try it out and see what all the hubbub was about.

According to the the Twitterface website:

Twitterface gives you the ability to design your own interface. When you show people this cool, new tool, your brand will be front and center, and you control the place you run in and out of all day long.

We also make it easier for you to view and respond to multiple accounts, and to track things like conference tweets, because you can see up to 3 accounts on your page, and change what you’re viewing in a snap.

Does the beta live up to this claim? In short, yes it does. And I’d say it can only get better from here.

Let me begin this review by telling you what Twitterface is NOT:

It’s not Tweetdeck. It’s not Seesmic. It’s not Destroy Twitter. It’s not Twhirl. It’s not any third party software/app that requires Adobe Air to work. Because it is none of these things, I won’t compare it to apps that reside on a different platform altogether.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the quick summary.

The Good:

• Above average web-based application
• Customizable with background, logo, header, icons, colors and custom footer links
• Ability to create additional pages for your account
• Accessible on any Internet-connected computer
• Multiple account usage in one interface
• Multiple column usage.

Areas for Improvement:

• Lacks the ability to add followers
• Lacks the ability to unfollow and block.
• There is a learning curve (usability)

The Details

While I normally use either Twitter’s web-based interface or Twitterfox, I have spent the past few days using Twitterface exclusively.  For those who may be unfamiliar, Twitterfox is a Firefox add-on that is handy at the workplace because it has a small footprint and can easily be minimized into the browser status bar.

Because Twitterface is a customizable web application, users must create an account before using the service.  Twitterface has an easy sign up process. Enter your Twitter username, password and your email address and you’re all set with your own Twitterface page. In my case, it’s http://www.twitterface.com/g33kguy. Once you have signed up you can begin customizing your Twitterface page, or not if you are so inclined. For me, customization is a must.

Twitterface has a centered column set-up, so I created a background image similar to the one I have on Twitter (http://twitter.com/g33kguy). In addition, Twitterface allows you to have your own header image. Logos can also be created and added into your design as well. There are many customizable features within Twitterface such as choice of different colored icons, link colors, text colors, footer section customization too.

Twitterface allows you to have multiple pages for your account that you can customize.  Add in the ability to have mutiple columns to either view other Twitter users/view @replies/DM’s/search terms-hashtags, and now you have a web-based Twitter app that’s in your face, literally. Hmmm…Twitterface…in your face.  Interesting.

I chose to go with the current 3-column view. I use the first one for my own tweeting and viewing @replies and DM’s. The middle column I set to see what my wife (@g33kgurrl) is tweeting because we converse a lot on Twitter during the day/evening. She’s awesome! ..ahem… and the third column I have set to a hashtag of #geeklove to see who is hashtagging that term.  Twitterface is working well for me in this aspect.  I like it more than my Twitter.com page.

However (yes you knew it was coming), there are drawbacks to this (early) beta version of Twitterface.  The interface has a learning curve. Although the curve is not steep, the interface takes a little getting used to. There are several usability tweaks I believe can improve the user experience with Twitterface. Here are some observations:

• The reply icon is different from Twitter.com. You have to rely on the title tags when you put your mouse over the icons to verify it’s usage. Maybe an “RT” icon would be better usage as this acronym is more widely accepted. Just a thought there.
• The “I follow”, “follow me” and “Updates” are oddly displayed at the bottom of each column. I think these could be better served if they are set toward the top of each column for easier viewing and reference.
• On the settings page, there are icons at the bottom right of the page that are not labeled. If you want to exit out, you have to look at the status bar when you mouse over the icons to figure out where to go. Usablity pain in the rear, being honest. I think it’s better served to have these icons toward the top left of the page and labeled. Make it easy for the user to navigate out versus making the user “work” to navigate away.

The biggest issues I have right now with Twitterface are in the usability department. But, after conversing with Kris Colvin (co-creator of Twitterface) many usability fixes will be in place as well as new features rolling out when version 1.0 hits the web.

The bottom line:

Twitterface is a well above average (and will only get better) web-based application that takes tweeting to a new level. If you thought Twitter had mutiple uses before, Twitterface goes beyond that by giving you more flexibility and customizing of your personal or business brand. Even casual users of Twitterface can appreciate the many features it currently has.

Am I a fan of Twitterface? Why yes, yes I am.