Twitterrific for Mac 5.2 Brings Experimental Twitter Poll Detection Feature

[MacRumors]

Twitterrific for Mac received a new update on Tuesday, adding a host of new features and improvements including the ability to quickly search for a user, restoration of Searches and Lists between launches, improved syncing of the reading position, and a unique experimental feature - Twitter poll detection.

According to the developer's notes, Twitterrific now attempts to automatically detect when a tweet in the user's feed contains a poll and displays a new status button at the bottom of the tweet to indicate this.

Clicking the button opens the poll in an integrated mini-browser that users can then use to submit their vote. Like the app's other popover windows, the poll can be detached from the main timeline to let users keep up to speed with incoming results.

The feature is labeled "experimental" because Twitter doesn't make an API available for third party apps to recognize polls in user feeds, so Twitterrific has to look for specific markers that give clues a tweet might be a poll. These markers include hashtags like #poll, the graph showing incoming results, and the ballot box emoji.

The app also looks for specifically structured questions to identify polls, according to the developers, and if any of these factors are positive, the poll status button is displayed. As it is, polls can only be created through official Twitter channels, but tagging said tweets with #poll will help let other Twitterrific users know they can take part.

Twitterrific 5.2 for Mac is available as a free update on the Mac App Store [Direct Link]. The app is $19.99 for new users.

Article Link: Twitterrific for Mac 5.2 Brings Experimental Twitter Poll Detection Feature

 

[AdeFowler]

Seems crazy that Twitter don't make the Polls API available to developers.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Seems crazy that Twitter don't make the Polls API available to developers.

A lot of features aren't available through the API. That also includes ads. It use to be about 1/3 of Twitter users made use of 3rd party apps. That means 1/3 or more of all users on the social network aren't exposed to ads. Seems a huge loss for Twitter.

TweetDeck has supported displaying polls for quite some time. Though it's Twitter-owned, it uses the API, so this addition could have been added to other 3rd party apps long ago.

 

[peterh988]

Wish they'd make it so that I can get alerts when a certain poster posts.

I have to have the twitter app installed as well just for that feature.

 

[chucker23n1]

Seems crazy that Twitter don't make the Polls API available to developers.

According to them, the reason is for a proper implementation (interaction and all), they first need to implement Cards in the API, which polls are apparently based on.

Doesn't really excuse that, years later, you don't even get the piece of information at all that a post has a poll, so you could at least link to the web app.

A lot of features aren't available through the API. That also includes ads. It use to be about 1/3 of Twitter users made use of 3rd party apps. That means 1/3 or more of all users on the social network aren't exposed to ads. Seems a huge loss for Twitter.

Probably a lot, lot less by now. I wouldn't be surprised if users of 3rd-party apps are now less than one percent.

TweetDeck has supported displaying polls for quite some time. Though it's Twitter-owned, it uses the API, so this addition could have been added to other 3rd party apps long ago.

Apparently, the enterprise API now offers polls.

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

Wish they'd make it so that I can get alerts when a certain poster posts.

I have to have the twitter app installed as well just for that feature.

That’s yet again, another feature tied to the Twitter API. I’ve seen other apps notify you when any one tweets, that you follow. But as far as turning on individual notifications, that’s only available to Twitter.

Twitter’s “official” app is garbage IMO. I remember the days before Twitter ever had an official app of their own.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Using a sophisticated neural net algorithm, we identify tweets containing #poll.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Probably a lot, lot less by now. I wouldn't be surprised if users of 3rd-party apps are now less than one percent.

I just pulled a sample of 10,000 tweets. Of those, 42% were posted from a 3rd party app (not from the Twitter website or official app). Looks like 3rd party still make up a huge portion of tweets posted these days.

 

[bwintx]

My usual input on these topics: if Twitter would simply add the auto-updating feature in TweetDeck, many would gladly use the Twitter app or the Twitter Web page rather than TweetDeck or third-party alternatives. But as long as you have to sit there as if it were 2003 and keep clicking on "See 9 new Tweets" links... nah.

 

[chucker23n1]

I just pulled a sample of 10,000 tweets. Of those, 42% were posted from a 3rd party app (not from the Twitter website or official app). Looks like 3rd party still make up a huge portion of tweets posted these days.

I find that quite surprising. Did you filter out bots?