There are a lot of applications out there that can help you stay in-touch with your Twitter account but for Ubuntu users the simplest is Gnome-Do. If you’re not looking for a all out interface to clutter your desktop and want a lightweight, minimalist solution I would suggest using Gnome-Do and it’s Microblogging plugin. It’s easy to setup and it uses Gnome’s notification interface to display tweets from the “tweeps” you follow.
What’s even cooler is sending a tweet is as simple as invoking Do’s dialog and typing away. Once your message is complete hit enter and your message has been sent to your Twitter account. You’ll even get a notification that Twitter has received and posted your message.
If you don’t have Gnome-Do installed:
sudo apt-get install gnome-do
To set up your account you need to search “All Plugins” for “twitter” and enable the Microblogging plugin. Note: Because the Microblogging plugin is not an official Do plugin make sure you have “All Plugins” selected in the Show: drop down list.
Click on the Configure button > select Twitter from the drop down. Enter your username and password and you’re set up. Immediately you should start seeing tweets in the notification area.
The Microblogging plugin does have other features that can be explored. For more information check out the Gnome-do Microblogging Wiki. Happy tweeting!