Given all that’s innovative and revolutionary about Twitter, it still has its share of downsides. One of these is the lack of features to the basic interface. Twitter use has grown and evolved that it’s now difficult to manage and control your Twitter account – plus countless others that you follow – without third-party help. This is understandable since there are now more than 100 million registered users with an additional 300,000 more added each day. This unprecedented growth means it will take some time before everything gets polished from Twitter’s end.

The following is a list of must-have applications that will make your Twitter experience smoother and more satisfying. Take the time to try each one out as your micro blogging needs change. These are meant to be scalable as you progress from being a total beginner on your way to being a power user.

• Some might think that having the mobile version of Twitter is a no-brainer. But as this list is intended for beginners, it’s worth mentioning. You see, it’s imperative that you keep yourself updated if you want to maximize Twitter’s power. An estimated 37% of all users update their status via their mobile phones. It’s unthinkable for experienced and power users to wait for an opportunity to get home and then start tweeting. You have to have the ability to post tweets as ideas pop into your head. Also, the ability to respond to others’ tweets in a timely manner can’t be stressed enough. Your followers will appreciate the effort you put in when you show that you keep track of them. Get the mobile version for your iPhone, Android device, or Blackberry and never be out of touch again.
• TwitPic adds a functionality that greatly enhances what you can do with Twitter. Aptly named, it’s a website that allows you to add pictures to your microblog posts. Perfect for those moments when even a character limit of 1000 wouldn’t do. What’s great about it is that TwitPic URLs are already short so no need for URL shortening. This feature adds to the simplicity and ease of integration that it offers. A disaster proved TwitPic’s usefulness when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 was downed by bird strikes on January 2009. The first “reporter” on the scene was a passenger on one of the ferries plying the Hudson River where the plane ended up. Pictures of the passengers evacuating the plane circulated Twitter via TwitPic before TV networks got to the site.
• TweetDeck is for power users and might prove too complicated for those just starting out. But then again, nobody remains a beginner for long. As your contact list grows and you need to keep track of more and more tweets, you will need something to organize everything. As people, celebrities, companies, and individual stores are establishing their presence on Twitter, you need a filter to make sense of it all. TweetDeck is still the gold standard when it comes to this kind of functionality and the rate of updates shows no signs of slowing down. This ensures that any development in the way people use Twitter is accounted for and the application stays relevant.
• Deals are being shared via Twitter and it’s quite easy to get in on the action. CouponTweet.com offers a way for users to search what deals other people are uncovering and sharing. Yes, there are lots of sites that aggregate sales, discounts, and deals, but having real people share – and essentially prescreen the good ones from duds – is a welcome touch. By knowing that each deal has been seen, read, and shared by at least one person and not a robot or program, there is a certain level of trust to the whole matter. Give it a try and get discounts, offers, and even credit card deals.
• Those beginners thinking of delving into blogging full-time might want to give
  Digsby a try. This last application is not solely connected with Twitter, but is a nice addition to any beginner’s blogging arsenal. This useful application integrates all your IM, email, and social networking accounts into one. Put simply, it allows you to monitor and control a big part of your online presence from a single application. You will save a lot of time and be efficient right from the start when you are able to consolidate everything into one spot.

The explosion of Twitter’s popularity in recent years just goes to show how people love to be connected. Ashyia Hill with CreditDonkey says, as you discover the power of social networking, you will inevitably outgrow the basic interface of most services. Twitter is no exception. The proliferation of third-party software to address general and specific needs that can’t be found in the basic interface is proof that people are taking notice of the way we communicate and how it’s changing.