A Twollo
To say that Twitter has become pretty pervasive is an understatement. All sorts of people have Twitter handles (this blog included — @litdrift) and in response a whole slew of custom-built applications have sprung up to cater to the masses. To me, these services should be judged not on how innovative they are, or how they enhance the Twitter experience or any of that baloney. Instead, they should strictly be ranked by how clever their names are. Here are a few applications that have risen to the challenge and selected monikers that 1) stick to the avian theme that Twitter has cultivated or 2) incorporate some delicious wordplay.
Twollo: A cleverly named service that incorporates the Twitter bird theme (swallow) as well as the core action that the service provides, which is to accrue followers. Well done, Twollo. Well done.
Qwitter: Similar wordplay is present in the title of this service which, as the name implies, identifies Twitter users who have canceled their accounts. Nice and simple.
Magpie: A service that allows you to monetize your Tweets, Magpie proves that you don’t have incorporate the words “Twitter” or “Tweet” into the name of your application to make it work. Magpie gets points for operating within the bird motif as well as for capitalizing on the stigma of the magpie, which collects shiny trinkets for its nest. A million times better name than the name of competing service Twittad.
Twitterature: Okay, so there was a second there where I thought I might be the first person to think of this one. Then it turns out I was totally wrong, some kids have already beat me to the punch, establishing a whole line of Twitter-based takes on classic novels. Oh well, it’s still a clever name.
Twee60: An application that links your Xbox 360 live service to your Twitter account. Or something. Get it, Xbox 360? Twee60? I think that’s pretty clever.
Twemes: Out of all the words out there, who would have thought that a company would pun on the word “memes” (which, for those who don’t know, is “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture”). Yet this is exactly what this aptly name service has done.
These are some of the more clever ones, at least in my opinion. Finding the applications that feature either clumsy, unimaginative, or just plain idiotic names was much (much!) easier. A few of my faves:
Serendipitwiterrous: Classic case of the designers getting way too ambitious with the name. I don’t know what it does. I only know that it exists. I can’t look at it or think about it because it gives me a headache.
Xbox to Twitter app: I know that programmers are not traditionally the most imaginative bunch, but come on guys.
Qwitter Tobacco: The purpose behind this application – a Twitter service that helps you quit smoking – is noble and good. The name is not.
Twibler: Twibler is a thing that links your eBay account to Twitter profile. To me though, Twibler sounds like the name of a rat-like muppet that pops up every now and then out of his orange plastic tube to dispense advice and one-liners to Kermit and Gonzo.
Twalala: It doesn’t even seem like the creators of this feed-monitoring service were trying. They just trailed off in the naming brainstorm, Twalalalalala….
Phweet: This service has something to do with Smart Links but to me it sounds like a bodily emission. In fact, I’ve listed it right before…
Twitter Sharts: Yes, so Twitter Sharts is a WordPress plugin that lets you ‘shart’ your twitter status anywhere within your wordpress blog post or page. And yes, it’s actually named Twitter Sharts. And yes, they employ the verb “shart” in their product description. And yes, it’s the worst name of a Twitter app out there.
Got any particular ones that I missed, good or bad? Weigh in below.
