Just a few weeks ago LinkedIn announced their new blackberry app, allowing you to take LinkedIn with you wherever you go.

I have to admit I was already macgyvering a way to do this. I synced up my blackberry to Outlook and then downloaded the Linked-In Outlook plugin. This made life slower but eventually all my contacts ended up on my phone (more on this here).

LinkedIn must have had the same thought I did. All those connections are great but I need to be able to access them easily from my phone. There's just no point to connecting if I can't call them up.

But its more than that. For a long time I categorized LinkedIn as a lesser social media platform. It was for getting business cards stored logically and paper free: that was about it. Don't get me wrong, I know it has more features and some people use it very effectively in their business. But the lack of real time updates and notifications shoved it in to the I'm-too-buzy-to-devote-that-much-energy-right-now category.

But much like my recent post on how Twitter is ineffective without apps; LinkedIn is ineffective without mobile. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot more with LinkedIn in the next few months.

(Additional Note: If you watched my last video blog you'll know my blackberry, may it rest in peace, finally keeled over. So I have not actually gotten to try the LinkedIn blackberry app. However, I got an android and downloaded a Linked-In app. Even though its not an app developed by LinkedIn, I'm still excited to test it and discover all the things I've been missing!)

Many companies now see twitter as an integral part of their social media strategy. They log on, start a feed and immediately start posting into an echo chamber. No relationships, no responses, just waiting for their customers to find them while they tweet away about what they think sounds good.

Like all brands of social media, twitter needs to have a personal aspect. There should be conversation, interaction and relationships forming on a regular basis. Unfortunately, Twitter does not really lend itself to the high-level of personal interaction that Facebook does. You have to remember to regularly log-in and check your replies, it often takes time for people to respond and its even harder (despite "lists") to read comments from the people you want to regularly check in with.

Twitter is Nothing without Apps

If you've tried Twitter and found it frustrating, welcome to the game. If you're considering giving up on Twitter, but haven't downloaded an app, hold your horses. The difference between Twitter and other social media sites is that Twitter doesn't allow you as many options. This keeps Twitter simple, but not always effective.

That's when Apps step in. You can download them to your phone or to your desktop. They can run live in the background or send messages to your phone. The take your entire Twitter experience to a truly interactive place.

My favorite, by far, is Tweetdeck. Tweetdeck is a downloadable desktop app. It allows me to follow multiple twitter accounts, direct messages, hashtags and lists. I can know when the people I want to respond to are talking and when someone's talking to me. And the communities I participate in, I get those updates in real time. Other examples are twitter apps for your phone, Hootsuite, and Seismic.

So if you're not sure about twitter, make sure you try an app. Simplify your user experience and make sure you stay in touch with all the right people at the right times.

Have you tried an app? Which one do you like?