notes on Social Dashboards

(Note, I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing down, please forgive my variable fonts.  I'm looking for something that works well.)
In order to manage less than 375 different sites you need a social dashboard.  A dashboard is either a web-based (web-page, with a URL), PC based (install it on your computer) or (Web)browser designed to help you manage multiple social media sites at the same time  Some of these also work as a browser add-in (it's like a tool you can add to your browser.  I will only review those that work for the Google Chrome browser).  I plan to review the ones I have found, Lifehacker has an excellent review here as well (it's a list of top 5 based on reader input).
My list is Hellotxt (web-based), Netvibes (web-based), Yoono(web-based or add-in), Brizzly  (web-based), RockMelt(web-browser), Seesmic(web-based, PC-based), Digsby(PC-based), TweetDeck (web-based, PC-based) & HootSuite (web-based).
There are also phone tools for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm and in some cases, others.  I will not be reviewing the phone tools.
Today I will cover Hellotxt (web-based), Netvibes (web-based), Yoono(web-based or add-in), Brizzly  (web-based), RockMelt(web-browser).  Please remember this is a general overview plus my opinions.  Don't consider this a "full review".  I just don't have the time to go into that much detail.  I will give you a general idea how the dashboard functions and highlight points I find important.

Hellotxt (hellotxt.com) This one is web-based, go to a URL and your at your dashboard.
I don't like the configuration.  How the page places information is not comfortable for me.  Sometimes it's hard to tell what the source behind the information is; is this a Tweet?  LI update?  Too much time wasted checking.  Bonus, it looks like you can update your status on all your networks at once (I never tried).  Nice feature.
Setup was very simple.  Easy to follow instructions.  I did have trouble finding my page after setup though.  It left me on a blank page ("Lifestream").  I expected this to be my information page but it's not.  Where is my data?  O, it's at 'home'! If I click the 'Hellotxt' link in the top left I see my data!  Not intuitive enough.  Hellotxt does not auto-update, a boon for some but a bane for me.  Auto-update everything and just highlight what I haven't read yet.  Remember your job Mr. Social Dashboard, is to make my life easier.


Netvibes (netvibes.com) This one is web-based, go to a URL and your at your dashboard.
I like this one.  Nice, appealing layout, fairly easy to read.  You can have tabs to separate major categories.  I have a tab for RSS feeds and one for everything else.  You can chance themes to affect the background image (kinda like GMail).  This works on a 'widget' theory.  Every information source in a widget, widget for Twitter, widget for LI, widget for Facebook, you get the idea.  I don't like that each individual RSS feed has to have it's own widget.  I want to read them all at once, like I can in Google reader.    Lots of customization for layout, because you can put a widget almost anywhere.  I really like the 'quick close' (my words) feature.  There is a pointing down triangle at the top right of your page, this "minimizes" all your widgets at once (you can do each one individually if you want).  It's a really handy feature to see at-a-glance which widgets have new information to read. LOTS of widgets, Netvibes runs an open attitude to widgets so anyone can create a widget (think iPhone or Android app store) and this means A LOT OF WIDGETS.  Options are a good thing.
Big negative; you cant update your status on all your networks at the same time.  They make it very easy to do one at a time though.
I like this one.  It has a nice layout.  I like the tabs which allow you to separate stuff.  you can change themes which affect the background image, nice feature.  i don't like that my RSS each has to have its own widget tho.  that's a bad thing.
also needs the ability to send a status update to everything at once.  Very good LI widget, nice stuff

Yoono (yoono.com) This one is a browser add-in

This handy sidebar only shows the 'everything' column (and the quick buttons toolbar) but remember you can always switch the 'everything' column to only show you one feed.
There are quick buttons at the far left for 'Popout' (gives you that handy side bar instead of running in a tab on your browser.), "Configuration" (settings), close all individual columns and 'share'.  'Share' lets you share any web-page.
The negative is my fault and blame does not go to the folks at Yoono at all.  I'm having trouble with RSS feeds.  I can't import RSS directly but I can import my Google Buzz.  Google Buzz should grab all my RSS but it isn't.  As soon as I can figure this part out, I may go to using Yoono all the time.  I'm very impressed.  In my opinion, Yoono is the best so far.

Brizzzly (brizzly.com) This one is web-based, go to a URL and your at your dashboard.
I'm not even going to try this one.  Only works with Facebook and Twitter.

RockMelt (rockmelt.com)  This one is it's own web-browser.
Rockmelt is pretty awesome.  You must have a Facebook account, this is an absolute.  They verify real people (as opposed to bots) through Facebook so you just cant get it w/out Facebook.  It integrates with Facebook, twitter and (at least) news feeds.
Rockmelt is not a website, it is not a program you download to your PC (sort-of), RockMelt is a modified version of Google's Chrome web browser.  You download this modified browser and it has columns on the left & right side for your information and friends.  I've seen the video and it looks very productive.
RockMelt is in beta right now but that is not a bad thing.  If I ever hear of them offering options outside of Facebook, I really want to try this out.  I have heard a lot of good things about RockMelt.  Some Gizmodo & Lifehacker readers swear by it and won't surf the web with anything else.


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