Pump.io is one of the easiest platforms that I have reviewed to get started with.

The user interface is simple to navigate, and the most common elements have been labeled well and are easily accessible.

Below is a reference image of the Pump.io user interface.

Creating your Profile

Once you have created an account, the first thing you should do is personalise your profile.

This can be done by clicking your ‘Account Menu’, a drop down box which is labeled with your login name, and selecting settings from the resulting drop down menu.

Here you’ll be able to add and change information about yourself such as your profile picture and your location.

Following an Account

Following a person with Pump.io is a simple affair which is similar to Twitter’s implementation.

When you visit the profile of someone you don’t know, a ‘Follow’ button will be shown below the Account Menu. To add them to your Following list, click the Follow button.

Once added, it becomes a ‘Stop following’ button, which allows you to remove the user from your account.

Writing a Post

If you want to write a post, here’s a few things that you should keep in mind.

Do you want your followers to be notified of the post? Do you want to tag a person or persons in the post? Do you want to post an image and/or text?

The ‘Note’ button in Pump.io will allow you to send text messages with or without these options.

By default, there are no users tagged and your followers will automatically be notified (denoted by a ‘CC’ box, similar to email.)

To write a post, just click the Note button and write it out as a normal post. To tag someone, type their name in the ‘To’ box. To stop your followers from receiving a notification of the message, remove the ‘Followers’ tag from the ‘CC’ box.

Posting an image is almost exactly the same, simply click on ‘Picture’ instead of ‘Note’ upload your image and follow the same instructions for writing a post.