With the phenomenon of the micro-blogging tool Twitter, users have one huge friends list. Now, users can group their Twitter friends using Twitly. This new tool allows people to not only sort their friends into groups, but gives them the flexibility to read specific friends’ tweets.

To use Twitly, users must already have a Twitter profile. Once you enter your Twitter information, Twitly automatically populates your current friends list and allows you to start creating your groups and search tweets.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 2 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: I always believe that it’s easier to manage a mass amount of people into certain categories or groups. Twitly definitely makes ‘twittering’ easier for users who have over hundreds and thousands of Twitter friends.

Negative: The concept of grouping your Twitter friends would be better if you could actually type a tweet using Twitly (I’m always up for a one-stop-shop tool). Time is also an issue because if you are Twitter popular, it might take a while to group your friends.

Conclusion: I think that Twitly has a lot of potential to become a great tool for Twitter users. Although Twitly is not affiliated with the popular micro-blogging site, Twitter should really take advantage of tools like Twitly that would enhance their usership.

Though the acquisition is off, we’re still planning on some changes to the Buzz Bin.  Namely, the blog and the readers would be better served if we split the content into two blogs. We feel like we’ve got a lot of great content, some strategic and some tactical.

First would be the Buzz Bin, which would continue with 2-3 Livingston posts a week, Qui Diaz on social media for social good, and interviews of leading voices. We anticipate adding a third strategy oriented voice to the blog in the next month or two. The leaner and meaner Buzz Bin would begin in its third major retooling on September 8.

Second, Livingston Communications would start a new blog, which would focus more on tactical execution. Larissa Fair would be the lead voice, and she will be accompanied by our weekly columns from Marinel Mones and Mike Nelson, Buzz Meter and Blogs of Fire, respectively.  The second blog would launch in mid-October.

As the Buzz Bin is as much yours as ours, we definitely want to know if these changes work for you, or if you prefer to keep the blog as is. Let us know.

The concept of backing up your computer is now coming to social networks like Twitter. Tweetake allows Twitterers to back up their friends, followers, favorites and tweets into a CSV file. Founders Alfred Armstrong and Nikki Pilkington decided to create Tweetake after Twitter proved to be unreliable (i.e. Twitterers losing followers).

Why might this tool be useful? In case you want to change your Twitter name, you’d have a record of your current friends to add to your new account, which is a big plus. Backing up your account also gives you the flexibility to go through old tweets – as needed. The CSV file is divided into 11 columns, which includes names and screen names of your Twitter friends, their location, profile descriptions, a link to their images and URL, as well as a time/date stamp, and current tweets. (image from StartupMeme)

Buzz Meter Ranking: 3 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: Tweetake is simple and easy. All you need is your Twitter username and password. With one swift click, you can have a CSV file of your all of friends, followers, favorites and tweets.

Negative: Although it is a good back up service, you still need to back up your own computer files at the end of the day if you want your Tweetake file to still exist.

Conclusion: Tweetake is just as simple as backing up your computer files. It’s an easy and fast procedure that gives users a chance to protect their tweets and profiles. If you’re a big Twitterer, then you should definitely use this tool.

About two weeks ago, I received an invite to the alpha testing of PitchEngine’s, the new social network for PR pros and media, Social Media Release (SMR) Builder, by none other than the founder himself, Jason Kintzler. Created with the concept of combing traditional PR methods with social media, PitchEngine offers a new way of sharing news. This network allows users to discuss PR and the media in forums, share videos, meet fellow PR pros and send SMRs all free of charge. Presently, PitchEngine has over 250 brands using the alpha and the PitchEngine Network is continuously growing.

PitchEngine’s user ability is like that of the traditional press release online distributors, Marketwire and PR Newswire, but of course with social media flair. On the media side, users are able to customize their profile pages, invite friends and connect with others – a true social network. In the PR side, account holders can add an “Active User” to a company or individual’s account – allowing them to perform similar functions of the account holder (i.e. write, publish and edit SMRs ). The new SMR tracker lets users know how many times their releases have been viewed. Currently, you can only upload one brand, but Jason mentioned the addition of multiple brands to an account so that PR firms can efficiently use PitchEngine’s services.

To create a press release, users just select the option and are immediately brought to a page that offers more than just words on the release. Users can include images, videos, audio and more. Releases can be viewed and shared via email, cut-and-paste link or directly to social sites like Twitter, FriendFeed or Facebook.

What’s next for PitchEngine?

• Social Media Newsroom – users who upgrade their account to a social personalized newsroom can now host and archive SMRs for specific brands or for their agency as a whole. PR Firms can also make the newsroom a part of their client or brand’s website. (This should be in the public beta in a few days)
• Once mainstream PR starts using the service, PitchEngine can reveal the media side of the site. The media will be able to filter PR content by industry and category and get a personalized PitchFeed delivered to their custom profile page.
• The newsrooms will be available for a minimal subscription fee, but the SMR builder will remain free.

“I can’t let too many details out of the bag yet, but the method of pitch delivery will be unprecedented – a stark contrast from the distribution methods out there today. Media will have ultimate control over what they’re being pitched,” said Jason.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 4 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: PitchEngine embodies everything PR pros need to transition from traditional media to new media relations. Users who currently use regular press release online distributors have never met such an easy tool! With the simple uploading and saving, I was able to draft a test press release in 5 minutes. The PitchEngine Network is also a good hub for PR pros to connect.

Negative: PitchEngine only supports the latest browsers, so the laggards using Internet Explorer 5 or 6 will have to upgrade.

Conclusion: PitchEngine is definitely on its way to becoming a dream-team tool for PR pros through the combination of traditional and new media. As Jason stated, ‘I came up with the concept out of genuine passion for all things media and PR. I want to help both industries make the transition to new media relations. "A New Spin on PR.” Well Jason, with all of the additions you’re planning, PitchEngine will take that ‘new spin on PR’ to a whole new level. I can’t wait!

Do you belong to a substantial amount of social networks and want constant access and control of all of them at the same time? A couple of weeks ago I got pinged about a semi-new tool called Digsby. This tool can be described with the following equation: Digsby = IM + Email + Social Networks.

Digsby offers similar features to that of Yoono or Pidgin. With over seven different types of instant messaging tools including, AIM, Google Talk, Jabber and Facebook Chat, Digsby surpasses its competitors. Users also receive email notifications from the following accounts: Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, AOL/AIM Mail, POP Mail and IMAP Mail. You also access and update Facebook, Twitter and Myspace statuses. Having Myspace in their social networking circle also separates Digsby from the other aggregators.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 4 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: Downloading Digsby took no effort at all. Digsby offers personalization of your chat box interface with complete emoticons – just like AIM. Users can easily update statuses just by clicking on the widgets in the task tray or the social networking icons on their Buddy List.

Negative: As much as I love the pop up updates on the left hand side of my screen, I sometimes it takes more than just one click for them to disappear.

Conclusion: Love = Digsby + Marinel. How’s that for an answer? I can get updated quickly just by scrolling over my screename on my Buddy List for any of my social networks. I also like Digsby’s ability to connect me directly to my email site or social networking site just by clicking on the widgets. And on Twitter, your picture shows up next to your friends’ tweets that you responded too and vice versa. Hands down, Digsby is awesome.

Have you ever watch VH1’s Pop-up Videos? Wouldn’t it be great if similar informative comment boxes popped up on in your Internet browser? Well, I discovered a tool, Browzmi, that uses this ‘pop-up’ concept by integrating instant messaging and web surfing all in the same browser, and in real-time. Even though you and your friends are sharing and discussing the same web site in real-time, users are not actually sharing one single screen (so your friends or other users can never control your browser).

Browzmi is a free app that doesn’t require downloading, and is compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. Users can communicate with friends while watching movies, discovering new music and playing games. This tool also offers a bookmarklet, which allows users to open any viewed page in Browzmi and share with others. Other features include voting and commenting on sites, grabbing pictures for photo sharing, and a sidebar full of widgets like YouTube and Flickr.

Currently the application can be synced with a user’s Facebook. Browzmi is working on incorporating AOL, MSN, and Yahoo chat features to maximize the friend sharing experience.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 3 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: The registering process was so easy and the interface is very inviting. I love the three-pane structure of Browzmi and how organized it is. I can view what every user is commenting/voting on, or if I want to just see my friends or my own, I have that option too. And as simple as it may be, being able to find the on and off button for sound is great! The team at Browzmi is also wonderful. Thank you Travis Parsons for welcoming me and answering my questions.

Negative: As with an open sharing service, the only major concern is privacy. Even though Browzmi offers users the ability to make their streams public or private, the whole network still has the capability to review your online activity.

Conclusion: I really enjoyed sharing and surfing the web with my friends all in real-time. Browzmi saves me from having to minimize my screen in order to fit my instant message box all on my desktop. Browzmi is just plain fun and I can’t wait for all of the chat services additions and emoticons!

Widgenie, the “all powerful data visualizer,” from LogiXML, Inc.  takes data from a variety of sources and allows users to create visuals using various types of widgets (mostly in chart form). Widgenie then takes the charts and provides users different ways to share them, from embedding them in blog posts or comments, to publishing them in Facebook, iGoogle, WordPress or a user’s own web site.

Although Widgenie is still in beta, the tool can create six different types of widgets from uploaded data in Microsoft Excel and Comma-Separated Values (CSV) spreadsheets. Widgets include:tabular, animated line chart, animated bar chart, animated area chart, animated pie chart and text cloud widget. Users can even opt to use a URL instead of the six widget options offered.

The free tool also offers tracking for the popularity and usage of the widgets you create. Widgenie shows how many times the widgets are viewed and how many unique visitors are visiting.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 3 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: The best feature about Widgenie is the concept of portable, online visuals. Knowing your uploaded data is accessible from any computer connected to the Internet and having it ready for use at any time is very convenient. I also enjoyed playing with the different options for presenting data. Visuals definitely make presentations and blog posts more interesting and enticing.

Negative: Right after I signed up to use the beta, it said that my password was wrong and I had to change it when I finally had access to my account. One feature I did not agree with was the text cloud widget. I created a mini cloud of just the first five letters of the alphabet and instead of having different text sized letters, they were just different colors.

Conclusion: I predict that the makers of Widgenie will be able to bring out the full potential of this tool. I applaud the creators for making it so easy to use. After getting all of the kinks out of the beta, I envision Widgenie to be a common tool for business pros and social media gurus.

Remember how Google decided to play a little trick on their users by offering a tool that allowed people to change time – specifically with setting emails to send to the past? Although I’m sure none of us fell for it (wink wink), but the idea still seemed brilliant. That said, what if you can set a time and date to send an email in the future?

Well, you can with Sendible! I stumbled across the tool and decided to do a ‘test’ email before I actually signed up to use the service. After a successful test run, I wanted to see what else the ‘messaging sender manager’ had to offer.

Sendible not only enables setting emails to send in the future, but lets their users update their Facebook and Twitter statuses, schedule birthday reminders for Facebook friends, maintains a contacts list and calendar with alerts, and allows users to send SMS messages for free – even internationally. Sendible also allows for blog post updating. The most interesting feature Sendible offers is “My Ads.” Users or advertisers can take this opportunity to create relevant ads that will be sent with messages via email, SMS and through social networks such as Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Hi5 and Orkut. Those who use this service can track their ads through keywords and messaging types.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 4 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: The idea of being able to write an email and have it self-sent at a particular time is great! I believe this would lessen some stress for people with continuous deadlines. The reminders are also helpful, especially since they provide a link to send e-birthday cards!

Negative: The one downside I do found is only Blogger account holders can update their blogs. What about WordPress users?

Conclusion: Sendible is awesome. Again, I love tools that offer that ‘one-stop-shop’ kind of service. I’ll be honest though; I’m not that big on Twitter and often find myself using Plurk more. Hopefully Sendible will be able to integrate more social networking tools (such as blogging/micro-blogging sites), since it is still in beta. Overall, great concept and great tool!

I decided to research tools that provide site organization and after careful consideration, Yoono was the winner. Yoono is an add-on for Firefox and allows constant updates and direct connection to micro-blog sites and social networks through the use of widgets in a side toolbar and the user’s profile page.

In addition to supporting the following networks and instant messenger programs, Yoono allows users to view their friends’ pages, away messages, and even offers side pop-up notifications for updates from these sites:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• FriendFeed
• Piczo
• Flickr
• MSN Messenger
• AIM
• Yahoo Messenger

One of the unique features is the ability to drag and drop news links into the side toolbar and categorizing the articles as funny, love it or hate it. Yoono also offers music from Last.fm Radio, top rated videos from sites like YouTube and Digg, and the ability to view friends’ photos.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 4 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: Installing Yoono was simple. The steps to integrate all of the social networks and instant messaging services were very user-friendly. Of course the biggest plus to Yoono is the amount of supporting sites and all of the user-capabilities. The side toolbar’s size can be easily adjusted or removed just by hitting Crtl+Alt+y. If you want the side toolbar to magically appear again, all you would do is click on the Yoono button that also gets installed next to your address bar (just like the del.icio.us button).

Negative: If you’re not into Firefox and love Internet Explorer, this tool is not available to you. Although patience is a virtue and the tool offers many features, it takes a while for each social networking website to sync with Yoono (uploading all of your friends – and their current statuses can take forever if you have a ton of friends).

Conclusion: I really like Yoono. I can easily access my friends’ photos, Facebook and Twitter profiles. Aside from what I like, I do wish that Yoono would include more instant messaging services such as Google Talk and Skype – since I use those services quite often. The simplicity of the tool, the way it provides constant updates and instant connections while organizing my favorite social websites, really makes Yoono a winner. Try Yoono, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The new blog search engine, Twingly, is finally out of beta and has caught the attention of many bloggers. Advertised as “spam-free”, this European-based startup provides an array of features.

Twingly lists a blog’s recent posts, most linked posts, recent linking posts, authority (just like competitor Technorati) all on the blog’s very own profile. Other features include widgets, ‘pinging’ your blog, voting and suggesting upcoming features on the site. [Image credit: One Mans Blog]

The two most popular however, are the Twingly Screensaver and the Twingly Blogstream. The screensaver shows global blog activity in real time and the blogstream connects traditional media to the blogosphere.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 3 out of 4 Buzz Bees

Positive: Besides the obvious list of features, Twingly is very user friendly and has a simple interface. The Twingly Profiles provide almost everything that a blogger wants to know about a blog, all in one page – especially with who is linking to whose blog posts. Top it off, Twingly supports over 29 different languages and they’re spam-free!

Negative: A downside to the blog search engine is that in order to fully access all that Twingly has to offer, you must register with the site.

Conclusion: I do enjoy the overall functionality of Twingly. It was fun and very easy to use. The idea of integrating its users to help build upcoming features is brilliant! Some would even say that if you combine Twingly with Technorati, it would be a top notch blog search engine. I would definitely recommend people to check out Twingly.