HootSuite’s Live Twitter Stream: HootFeed
The HootSuite dashboard’s search streams are great for real-time tracking of keywords, #hashtags and @mentions – whether you’re on the go or at your computer. But what do you use when you want to share those Tweets with an audience?
*Drum roll please* Introducing HootFeed – HootSuite’s customizable full-screen Twitter feed built for live events and digital displays. Whether you want to showcase Tweets on the mainstage or have them on LCD screens scattered throughout your event, this easy-to-customize Tweet wall animates Twitter activity onto your screens in real-time.
HootFeed is free for anyone to use and is a great way to engage audiences at events or busy public locations. Attendees Tweet the keywords and they auto-magically appear on the big screen. Instantly interactive!
A Multi-Purpose Tool
Easy to set up and easy to use, HootFeed is a handy tool for events. Display a real-time Tweet board wherever you can set up a screen:
- Conferences and exhibitions
- Lectures, presentations and tradeshow booths
- Concerts and night clubs
- Lobbys, boardrooms and hallways
Not restricted to sharing Tweets at events – HootFeed also serves as a handy tool for monitoring in scenarios like:
- Group Chats – See how groups like #usguys are constantly conversing
- Media Coverage – Track reaction and media amplification for company announcements
- Special Events – Quickly view the Twittersphere’s reaction to political speeches, elections, sporting events and award shows
Setting up HootFeed
HootFeed is browser based with no installation required and only takes a few minutes to set up. You’ll need access to an internet connection, an email address and whatever video set-up suits your fancy.
Here’s How:
- Access hootsuite.com/hootfeed
- Enter your email address
- Input your keyword, mention or hashtag. For power users: HootFeed works with Advanced Twitter Search Operators.
- Toggle to add the Profanity Filter.
- Keep it simple or customize HootFeed with your organization or event’s name, logo and colors
- Preview your Layout Options.
- Press Launch and watch the Tweets roll out.
HootFeed Tips:
- Adjust the size of the Tweets by zooming in or out of your web browser. Do this by holding down “ctrl” and pressing “+” or “-” for PCs. Mac users hold down “command” and press “+” or “-”.
- Maximize your display by adjusting your web browser to full screen.
- Share your customized HootFeed with a colleague by sending the ow.ly link located on the top-right of the screen.
HootFeed Debut
HootFeed made its debut on May 14th at the Conversational Marketing Summit in NYC where it displayed Tweets that included the #cmsummit or #fmsignal hashtag.
CM Summit organizer, Emma Tzeng of Federated Publishing Media remarked, “it was a fun addition to the event” and “only took a few minutes to set up with the right equipment on hand (monitor, PC, VGA cable). Also, people who Tweet enjoy seeing their Tweets ReTweeted/blasted to the public, so I think overall it was a crowd pleaser.”
HootFeed customized for the Conversational Marketing Summit
Your Turn
Whether you’re an Event Organizer, Office Manager, DJ or Community Manager, HootFeed provides a simple visual solution for streaming Tweets.
HootSuite created HootFeed in response to user feedback and requests. Share your thoughts and suggestions for feature requests on our Feedback Channel.
Looks great! I’ve used Tweetwallpro at events before; does Hootfeed have the same functionality to moderate which Tweets appear on your wall at the event?
Hi Neina,
I was looking for something with a moderator function as well and just stumble across http://twubs.com/ . It looks pretty good. I am excited to try Hootfeed as well.
Great!
It arrived just in time to use it today in my SEO webinar!
http://ow.ly/bwHYr
Thank you Hootsuite team! ;-)
Francisco
Very cool! any chance you’ll be making enhancements for us to be able to add our own filters or save searches?
Hi Rebecca,
Do you mean archives searches? Through the dashboard you can archive streams. Check out this article for help.
As for filters, there aren’t any plans right now so request it on our Feedback Channel.
Great feature!!! Congratulations. I’m going to use in presentations and teaching. Thanks a lot.
Hi Pablo,
Great to hear it! If you get the chance, send us a photo of you in front of the screen. We’ll share it on lifeofowly.com
This is great! We’re taking it on the road with us at The Small Business Tour http://www.thesmallbusinesstour.com
Hi,
We have an upcoming event, and I’d like to take advantage of this. How does the keyword function work precisely? Is it the same as adding a hashtag to your hootfeed?
Thanks,
Non
Hi Non,
Good question. They would work the same way. You can search keywords or hashtags as you normally would in a HootSuite search stream.
Hi, Andy. Thanks! So, if I were to set this up for an event that involved around a particular subject (let’s say, for sake of this exercise, the subject is “pancakes”), I would create a hashtag (if I desired) and I would enter a keyword (related to pancakes) for the hootfeed when I set it up. Does that make sense?
Non
Hi Non,
Hmm, I’m not 100% clear on why you would use a hashtag and a keyword. I see two immediate scenarios for your pancake event.
1) You could create an event hashtag (let’s say, #LagunaPancakes)
You could input that into HootFeed and it would pull any Tweets that include #LagunaPancakes – encouraging people to use the hashtag at your event.
2) You could use the hashtag #pancakes or simply the keyword – pancakes. You would get much larger volume of Tweets as the hashtag and keyword is not exclusive to your event.
Really depends on what you’re looking for…
You could also use multiple keywords and hashtags (using Twitter Advanced Search: https://support.twitter.com/articles/71577#) but I don’t think this is the question you were asking.
Does that help?
Hi Andy,
Yes, that definitely helps. Thank you, sir!
Cheers,
Non
Hi
Can you hide any of your keyword search terms as I would like to pull through two #tags and 3 twitter account tweets but I think it might get to busy at the top if they’re all displayed.
Great work guys… one thought… many Twitter fall software apps will actually expand tweets with images so the image shows in the feed. Any chance you’re working on this?
Hi Shane,
Great idea! We’re always working on improving our tools. Let us know about it on our Feedback Channel.
Just tried it out in advance of a conference I’m planning in a few weeks. What’s the refresh rate? I used the hashtag for the conference it seemed to take a long time for the tweet to appear…so long in fact that I refreshed my browser and it appeared. I really hope I don’t have to hit refresh!
My company has used a twitter feed application at several conferences and has loved the experience, but the app we used was very glitchy. I’m looking for a better one. However, one feature I don’t see on yours that the other app had is the ability to moderate what goes up (other than the profanity filter). I’d like to be able to delete offensive or irrelevant posts. Is that something you might consider offering in the future?
Hi Justin,
That’s a great idea. Let us know about it on our Feedback Channel.
Hi Andy, we love Hootsuite and are looking to use it to run a twitter wall at an event next week. Moderation would be a key feature for us though and I noticed Justin’s comment and wondered if the function has been addded and if so, how/where to find it. Your help is appreciated!
Thanks
Steven
Is there a way that the host can edit or view the tweets before they are sent to a screen? I want to use this for a college event but students can sometimes tweet rude things, I know there is profanity filter, but unfortunately there isn’t a ‘rudeness’ filter.
Hi Nikki,
Currently that feature isn’t available. Let us know about it on our Feedback Channel.
Excellent!
This needs to be added under Tools in Hootsuite, a simple link to that page where we set it up.
hi Andy,
We’re interested in using this for an event at the end of the month. Ideally we’d like to show the same wall/feed in two different locations in the venue, powered by two different lap tops (for networking reasons).
Is this possible? Apologies if the answer is somewhere obvious and I’ve missed it.
Thanks for any info you can provide.
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Yes, this is possible. Since HootFeed is powered by your web browser, you just set up the second laptop with the same HootFeed settings, and voila!
Hope this helps,
Jordan
Looks great and like all Hoot products, easy to use. Wondering what’s the refresh rate for HootFeed?
Hi Eric,
Our product documents say that the HootFeed “fetches” every seven seconds. For a popular search term though, I have seen it change the display as fast as every four seconds.
Hope this helps!
Could I restrict the feed to only photos that people tweet?
I would like to use this for an upcomming charity gala. Is it possible to have the twitter stream run across the bottom of the screen and still allow us to run for example powerpoint slides of our sponsors ? Thank you.
Hi Darryl,
Good question. You could achieve that using two browsers. Good luck with your event!