As the age of the Internet continues to move forward, there are a few words that have taken on decidedly negative meanings. Spam, for example, is one of the most hated in our more technologically savvy vocabulary, as is phishing and malware. But one that makes people’s teeth really grind – especially those of us who have used sites such as Craigslist – is ‘bot’.
What makes this word so offensive is that it ties in so completely with the hated words above. Used by scammers, spammers and occasionally hackers, bots have become an easy way for the less savory types on the net to weasel their way into access to either our computers or our wallets. Is it any wonder that just hearing the term ‘Twitter bot’ puts so many people off?
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
1. Breaking News Bots
There are several Twitter bots that monitor the latest news and trends of the day. As a marketer, you have to keep up on both types of information, and so using the MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, or any other breaking news bot is a necessity. You can even use your mobile phone to get regular Tweets via text message, so you can be informed wherever you go.
2. Stock Bots
Need to keep up on your stocks? If part of your business is as a shareholder, or if you just have a portfolio and want to cut down on the time you spend managing it so you can focus on other things, there is Stock Quotes. Easy to use and user friendly, anyone can use this tool to help keep up with your stocks without losing hours a day doing it.
3. Personal Assistant/Organizers
One of your biggest tasks will be keeping track of what you need to do, and when you need to do it. There are plenty of choices on Twitter to help you do this, thankfully. Timer is a program designed to act as an alarm clock for various times through the day, to keep your schedule of track. Remember the Milk is your go-to To Do list.
4. Google Ranking
Need to keep track of your Google rank? Tweeted Ranks will send you daily updates on your current Google page rank and alert you if there is any change. It works as a glorified keyword tracker, but the software is solid. All you need is a free account, and from there the instructions are easy to follow.
5. Twitter Lists
List Watcher is one of the most popular marketing tools on the social networking site to date. This is probably because it is so simple. It works by watching your lists, and then if there is any change to those lists it alerts you. This includes adds, deletes and renames, so you can be on top of things without having to search each one out yourself to check.
Conclusion: Bots Aren’t So Bad
They may have become a bit of a dirty word in the online world, but bots aren’t so bad. Like anything on the Internet, there is a duality to their use, and it is all in how you utilize the technology. As a marketer, you have to use all of the tools at your disposal to get ahead, especially with such heavy competition around every corner. Twitter is still a hot place to get what you need done, so why not use the bots it provides?