Tweetdeck gets friendlier with shared accounts, ‘teams’ feature

 

Good news for Twitter users who run the TweetDeck dashboard for work and need to access their accounts - but have concerns about having to share their passwords.

 

Product manager Amy Zima said the new feature dubbed "TweetDeck Teams" allows shared access to Twitter accounts without sharing passwords.

 

"TweetDeck Teams is a simple solution to Twitter account sharing. It enables you to delegate access to as many people as you like, and remove accounts when they no longer need access," Zima said in a blog post.

 

She said the feature started rolling out on TweetDeck for web, Chrome and Windows.

 

But to use the new feature, a user must log in to TweetDeck with his or her Twitter account. This may not quite work on legacy TweetDeck accounts, she said.

 

Steps

 

Zima said people who manage and share a Twitter account can select Accounts, then type the name(s) of the account(s) he or she wants to have access to the team account.

 

An email will be sent to the account concerned, and the account holder will need to "Accept" the invitation in TweetDeck to contribute.

 

"If you’re currently sharing your account, you can change the password and revoke app access to ensure that from now on only the people you’ve just added will have access," Zima said.

 

Those who know the password to the account can still Tweet from the account, add or remove team members, view the team and access the account from non-TweetDeck platforms such as Twitter.com and Twitter mobile apps.

 

Admins can Tweet from the account and build lists, follow or unfollow accounts, send Tweets and schedule Tweets, add or remove team members and view the team.

 

But an admin cannot access the account off of TweetDeck or change the credentials or password.

 

Meanwhile, contributors can Tweet from and act as the account plus build lists, follow or unfollow accounts, send Tweets and schedule Tweets.

 

Contributors cannot view, add or remove team members, and can not access the account outside of TweetDeck.

 

Useful security layer

 

PC World said the new feature "adds a useful layer of security for businesses that use Twitter, by eliminating the need to disseminate passwords among employees."

 

It noted some high-profile Twitter accounts like those belonging to Newsweek magazine and the U.S. military’s Central Command have been hacked in recent months.

 

"Shared passwords are an obvious weak point for corporate social media accounts, as they increase the likelihood of unauthorized access," it said.

 

PC World also said Twitter encourages users to continue using two-factor authentication, which has a code sent to their mobile device upon login, as another check.

 

But it said Twitter did not reveal plans for bringing the feature to Twitter.com or Twitter’s mobile apps. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News