5 Awesome Free iPhone Apps For Social Networking

Ever since the launch of the iPhone, the social networking phenomenon has gone from strength to strength. Thousands of jobs have been created within the social media sphere, with people actually being employed to go on Facebook all day and promote a company’s product. If you have missed the boat on these apps then it’s time to catch up and read our 5 recommendations for the best iPhone apps for social networking! If you are already a social media junkie and well versed in such apps, then scroll to the bottom of the article for a special video treat…

1. TweetDeck – Developer:: Iain Dodsworth, Tweetdeck Inc.

Twitter may have it’s own app, but Tweetdeck Inc. have been playing that game a lot longer. Tweetdeck features an innovative ‘column’ style of viewing. By swiping your finger left or right you’re able to view each separate column, and what each one contains is down to you entirely. TweetDeck isn’t limited to Twitter either; with Facebook integration allowing you to view friends, and create your own, status updates. This app is more like a social dashboard with speedy access to each of your friends’ little worlds.

TweetDeck for iPhone can be synchronized with the TweetDeck desktop application on PC’s and Macs. This means that you can keep all of your precious columns and lists, and even add more. This doesn’t even need you to connect your iPhone or iPod Touch to your desktop computer! Simply log in to your TweetDeck account, and all of your settings will be transferred. Handy! The app gives you access everything you could possibly need from Twitter on-the-go, and more. It’s an easy to use social-app, with an ingenius browsing method. It’s a must for any tweeting enthusiast or social butterfly.

Read the full review of TweetDeck

2. Groupie – Developer: Groupie LLC

Are you a Social Media Junkie? For most of us Facebook is the pinnacle of all social media. If that wasn’t enough there are a slew of other choices available like Apple’s own Ping, Twitter, Linkedin and more. For you addicts out there, Groupie for the iPhone just might be your fix. This free app let’s you create, join, and manage groups of any topic on your iPhone. Boasting over 40,000 users with 9,000 groups this app quickly became the number one social network app in the Appstore. It’s still a young buck in the social media arena but it’s already showing some potential.

Joining and searching for groups is a breeze. There are up to ten different main categories of groups such music, business and so on. And each group will have sub categories within them. Most of the groups you come across will be highly reminiscent of a majority of Facebook Fanpages, like my favorite “I need a boyfriend” group or groups based on brands or teams like the “Boston Celtics” (YES!) group. But quite a few groups will only have a few members so if you want something a little more lively I suggest using a different route. You can find groups based on popularity, date added or a random list of groups can be listed by simply tapping on the random button. If that wasn’t enough you can also search for groups in your area.

Read the full review of Groupie

3. Facebook – Updated: Dec 19 2010, Seller: Facebook

It only needs one word to describe it. Official. This is the official Facebook app for iPhone. This handy dandy app makes it easy to stay in touch with your friends. This app is the mini version of what you would get if you were on the computer. You can post your status, look up phone numbers, send messages, comment and like. The only thing you can’t do is play the Facebook games. Facebook for the iPhone is free.

Read 10 Best iPhone Apps for Facebook

4. fring – Developer: fringland ltd

fring’s taking it to the big boys here with its latest release of it’s social networking and internet calling app. The app itself lets you connect with all of your friends who also have fring on their mobile. What does this mean? It means you’re able to voice or video call them absolutely free of charge! If your friends aren’t answering, why not send them a free chat message? fring has also gone one step further. The app is able to communicate with Facebook, MSN® Messenger, ICQ®, Google Talk™, Twitter, AIM® & Yahoo!™. This means that your friends can’t escape you, and you can’t escape them.

The app also allows you to update your Facebook status, tweet, and change your fring mood on the go. You can do this via the ‘Stream’ tab, which displays the latest tweets from those you follow on twitter, and the Facebook status updates from your friends on Facebook, etc. You can customize this tab with the platforms you prefer, i.e. you can swap out Facebook for Google Talk via the ‘Add-ons’ screen.

Read the full review of fring

5. Bump – Developer: Bump Technologies LLC 

Have you ever met someone who you really wanted to stay in touch with, but you simply didn’t have time to get their contact details down on paper? Well, with Bump, sharing phone numbers, email addresses, photos and much more is now as easy as simply ‘bumping’ phones! With the Bump app, all you need to do is hold your phone against another Bump user and you can immediately begin messaging each other, sharing texts, contact details and even music files with any of your Bump friends. Once you have the app, you can also share your location with other ‘Bumpers’, meaning that you can actually meet up in person and progress your relationship further than just a virtual one!

Read 5 Incredibly Useful iPhone Apps for Free

And just for you, here is one of the funniest spoof videos of recent years…