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Tweetdeck is an Adobe Air desktop application that brings Twitter to the desktop of Mac and PC in the most readable format yet.

Tweetdeck uses column layouts to arrange Tweets however you like. The default columns are All Tweets, Replies, Direct, but Tweetdeck’s functionality allows you to add/remove columns and custom ‘build’ your own columns - even group certain Twitter users to their own column.

It also gives you on screen notifications of new Tweets and incorporates an optional column to display a Twitscoop keyword cloud to show you what the biggest keywords are on Twitter right now.

The interface is sleek and Web 2.0 style. Columns can be resized or rearranged by dragging. You can also Tweet directly from the application of course, and it has built in shorten url functionality and Twitpic.

The only thing I would say it lacks is highlighting of new Tweets, which I greatly appreciate from Socialthing.

You know you’re successful when, despite your much-documented problems, and around $20million in VC funding, your fans try to raise money.

Which is exactly what @ChrisReed is trying to do with Twitterfund.

OK, so at the time of writing, it’s raised a total of £30 since it launched around the end of May - but it’s the fact it even exists which shows the level of involvement and commitment that Twitter, and other microblogging platforms, can generate.

(Incidentally, you can find me @badgergravling.)

The other reason Twitter is so inspirational is in the sheer number of applications being developed. Twemes, Twitpic and Quotably are now part of the Microblogging Tools list. Oh, and Tweetscan. And Yoono. I think that’s the lot!