I began using Twitter during July of 2008. At first, I was put off by what appeared to be a congregation of the egotistical. It was not until my Information Architecture professor required our class to use Twitter actively that I became engrossed and engaged with the Twitter phenomenon. In order to experience the maximum potential of Twitter, my professor encouraged my classmates and me to install and explore the many Twitterapplications available. Through my exploration, I found an application called Twitty Tunes.

Twitty Tunes is a companion application that works in conjunction with the Foxy Tunes browser application. The Foxy Tunes application allows users to export the music they play into an email signature.  It works with numerous music players such as iTunes or Winamp.

The application is integrated into the user’s browser where he or she can use the application to control his or her music player.

Twitty Tunes allows users to Tweet their “currently playing” songs as well as links to “currently browsing” websites, photographs, and videos.

By itself, Foxy Tunes is lacking, but when it is combined with Twitty Tunes, it becomes a robust and compelling tool.

The Twitty Tunes application is integrated in your browser. 

A small icon appears in the browser taskbar, and with two simple mouse clicks, you can share the music you enjoy with your Twitter friends and develop new connections with people that share your musical interest.

If a Tweeter uses the @foxytunesdj prefix instead of the five other music prefixes in his or her Tweet, then that Tweet will display on both the Tweeter’s Twitter profile and the @Foxy Tunes Twitter DJ Twitter Channel; however,  FoxyTunesDJ must be followed on Twitter by the user in order for it to appear on the channel. 

Twitty Tunes also allows users to post URLs to web pages they are viewing. You can choose among six preset prefixes or you can use the free style + URL option. The user only has to click the prefix such as “browsing:” while on the web page, and the prefix along with a short description and the URL will appear.

Users may edit the description or add their own comments. In addition, Twitty Tunes provides one click access to the user’s own Twitter page, to the Twitty Tunes homepage, and to the FoxyDJ Channel.

There is even an option that allows the user to change their Twitter password and to send feedback about the application.

Twitty Tunes allows users to expose their musical interests to a broad community of Tweeters. By utilizing Twitty Tunes, users may find that other Tweeters share similar interests and therefore make a connection with one another. People may begin to recommend other music the Twitty Tweeter may enjoy. For instance, if a user is in an unknown band in New Jersey and they Twitty the band’s songs on FoxyDJ, then other users may listen to the songs, and the unknown band’s music will spread to different regions of the world.

There are not many Twitter applications that compare to Twitty Tunes. It is a unique application that provides a distinctive service to its users. Blip.fm is similar to Twitty Tunes, but it is not an application. It is a website run independently from Twitter; however, Blip.fm has a similar interface as Twitter, and you can share your “blips” (the equivalent of a Tweet) on your Twitter page through the website. Twitty Tunes keeps the user connected to the entire Twittersphere, whereas, blip.fm is designed to be a contained community of music lovers.

Overall, I think Twitty Tunes is a valuable application. I think Twitty Tunes effectively connects users to other Tweeters with similar musical tastes. I think it would be interesting for Twitty Tunes to develop an auto-submit playlist feature, so that users can become their own DJ.