This free web part - developed for a participation in the Kentico Marketplace contest - simply does one thing: it creates a status update link to Twitter; a tweet. It is now available in the Marketplace and you can also find a download at the end of this post.
Now you may say, that there already plenty of similar gadgets out there, notably AddThis and ShareThis. But not only is "Tweet Me" is uniquely built for Twitter, which what makes it really simple to use, but "Tweet Me" can also be customized and make it fit to your own branding. Here is the list of highlights:
- Complete custom branding: Choose between an image or a simple text link;
- You can use TinyURL or Bit.ly to shorten your URLs;
- Thanks to the new macro support in web parts, you have full control over the message that will be tweeted;
- The web part includes Google Analytics campaign tags, so you will be able to measure the success of this feature;
- Tweet Me produces a simple link without JavaScript which makes it mobile compatible.
Why this web part will win the contest
Yes! I'm convinced that this web part will be the winning submission! Here are the reasons:
- Keep it simple, stupid! For the user: it's a simple click the button and update your status window. For integration: The default web part configuration will make it work by simply adding it to your template.
- Social media market does help increase your web site traffic and eventually make you famous. Well, not necessarily famous, but given that the theories about social media marketing are are bearing some fruit - you should find a measurable return.
- You can customize your link with style sheets.
- The web part is documented. Yes, it is!
- And hey, it's free.
The credits
Finally I would like to give credit to all the sources of "inspiration" that have been necessary to create this web part.
- The code for the TinyURL integration was written by Stefan Keir Gordon
- The code to create short URLs with bit.ly was inspired by the Yahoo Developer Network
- The twitter icon is a freebie from DesignReviver and was only adapted slightly for this web part. However, it is not supplied within the download: The icon is free for use on commercial projects, but not for redistribution.
- And last but not least: Thanks to Alice O'Brien who, despite all my warnings that she is wasting her time with all this social media stuff, continuously tried to convince me about the advantages.
One thing left to do before you download:
Click on the "Tweet Me" icon below and spread the news. Cheers.
Download Tweet Me (version 1.0)
Download it from the Marketplace