Taking tweeting to a whole new level! (dabr.co.uk)

Member Name: AmyAmy

Product:	dabr.co.uk
Date:	02/11/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to use, attractive, better than Twitter mobile

Disadvantages: /

I first discovered the wonders of Twitter towards the beginning of the year, but after struggling to get used to its format, I let it be. However a few months later I decided to give it another go, and since then I have become unhealthily obsessed with it. It is an amazing website that allows you to inform others of what you are up to, and send messages either privately or publicly with other members. Now one might say, Well it sounds exactly like Facebook and Myspace! While that was my initial thought too, I discovered that it is completely different. There is no fuss with applications, people do not invite you to join meaningless groups, and nobody feels the need to upload a million photos. Its slightly customizable - you can change your background and you colour scheme, but other than that it is completely faff-free.

It was getting to the stage where I was almost having withdrawal symptoms if I had been away from Twitter for too long. Luckily I had just got myself a contract phone with unlimited internet access, so I was able to go on Twitter anytime, anywhere. However I found the Twitter site on a mobile hard to work- very fiddly and unreliable. Though Twitter has a wide range of apps available for using with phones, so off in search I went for a suitable option.

I found a few options I could use with my phone, but none really seemed that useful. Though finally after what seemed like searching forever, I came across www.dabr.co.uk. It wasn't a downloadable app, but just a webpage. Basically, it was Twitter. You logged in with your Twitter username and password, everything was the same, yet it did more. And I couldn't believe just how much it did!

When you first log on you will notice that Dabr looks nothing like twitter. It has a grey background, with the tabs at the top in a bright orange. It's definitely eye catching and stands out as soon as you log on. Twitter's symbol is the blue bird, and Dabr seems to have a sort of grey misshapen bird too.

Across the top you have your usual twitter options: 'Home', 'Replies', 'Directs' and 'Favourites'. Clicking these gives you the same options that Twitter does, so it is easy to familiarise yourself with this site. Then we have some extra options. You can click on 'Trends' to see the trending topics, which on Twitter are just displayed down the side and cannot be viewed on a mobile. You also have 'Twitpic'. Twitpic is a site that allows you to upload pictures and then post them to Twitter. It isnt like a photo album, so yo won't find anybody uploading a hundred photos in one go, but perhaps one or two. I think this tab is a wonderful option, allowing you to upload photos from your mobile straight onto Dabr.

Another thing I like about this is that when somebody sends you a message and it comes up on the Home timeline, it is highlighted in yellow so it can be spotted against the rest. This is a feature I feel normal twitter should have - it's definitely helpful. You can also RT (Retweet) here by clicking the (") symbol next to the person's tweet. On Twitter you have to just copy and paste into the tweetbox and add the 'RT' in manually. I do not mind this, but it is still nice to have the option to RT from Dabr.

This is without a doubt the best Twitter option for mobiles. However it is not too good when using on a computer/laptop. I find that it stretches too much across the screen and looks a bit strange. Though it does mean you can sign into Twitter with your username, and Dabr with another. I have my own Twitter account (@McLeanAmy), and one for all the Loose Women fans (@LWFans). I have weekly quizzes with the LWFans account, and I can now log into twitter and Dabr at the same time, keeping an eye on both accounts.

This is definitely the website to use if looking to use Twitter on the go. Forget the apps - this does everything! Simply type in www.Dabr.co.uk into the browser and log yourself in. There really is nothing else to it. It is easy to adabt to and before long you will find yourself tweeting wherever you go. It is definitely worth looking at, but not one to start with. You should use the normal twitter for a while to familiarise yourself with how it works, and then move onto Dabr. But once you've got the hang of things, it's perfect!

Amy 2009

Summary: /