Popular Twitter client Hootsuite upgraded overnight to version 2.0, bringing a number of improvements to the service including stacked views, tabs and the ability to embed live searches offsite.
Despite the slew of great new features, the launch has been marred by some dubious marketing tactics. Hootsuite forced users to tweet a message containing the #hootsuite hashtag before upgrading - no exceptions. Better yet, they would do if for you which caused some users to voice their opinion on the heavy handed tactics.
'#Hootsuite 2' also made its way to the trending topics on the Twitter homepage, giving the Canadian software company huge amounts of free publicity, undoubtedly what they were aiming for.
It is one thing to run a competition or promotion which rewards users for tweeting, but its a completely different beast when forcing a users to promote a product before they have used it, it's bordering on spam.
Hootsuite is not the only application engage in forced tweeting before use, with blackberry program Tweetcaster requiring a tweet before download, regardless of whether the download actually works or not.
Have you found an application that has tweeted without your knowledge or forced you to tweet? Let us know in the comments or via Twitter @digitmedia
