Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Twitter, the social network built around microblogging. One of the giant advantages to Twitter over its competitors is the wide array of applications and services centered around the service. One of the most popular Twitter applications for the desktop is Tweetdeck, a powerful Adobe Air-based program.

What separates Tweetdeck from the crowd is its plethora of functionality. The interface is organized into a series of columns. Each column has a specific, customizable function. New columns can be set to search for given terms, find @replies, or create groups for better filtering. For instance, you could create a group for ‘News’ that will grab updates from CNN, NYTimes, and your local paper.

Like most other Twitter clients, TweetDeck allows you to post tweets directly from the interface. Unlike Twitterific, another popular Twitter client, the TweetDeck interface is massive and takes up the entire screen. When I’m using TweetDeck, I usually dedicate an entire space to it in OS X. Also, when not in the application, TweetDeck will pop up with notifications in the background. The application can also integrate with 12seconds.tv, Stocktwits, and Twitscoop. Tweet deck has also announced support for FacebookConnect.

Because TweetDeck is based on the Adobe Air platform, it can be used on Windows or OS X. It is available as a free download on the TweetDeck website. You can see more information on the Adobe Air platform on Adobe’s website.