Free web based service HootSuite is a Twitter organiser geared towards those who use the micro-blogging website in a professional capacity. It has been getting some attention from real estate business bloggers of late, and has recently released a number of new features that could make it worth trying out.

HootSuite’s flexible layout allows you to organise your Twitter streams into tabs and columns. You can track when certain keywords are mentioned, create groups of friends or followers, and ask HootSuite to check an RSS feed (from your blog, for example) and tweet out new posts.

HootSuite also allows you to tweet from multiple Twitter accounts and to give certain people access to certain accounts. But perhaps the most useful functions for those who use Twitter with their business in mind are the options to embed a customised column that displays a Twitter stream into a website, and to track the performance of your tweets through HootSuite’s statistics.

This video tour outlines the service in detail:

This month, HootSuite has unveiled a few new functions. Pictures and files can now be uploaded and their statistics tracked through HootSuite’s analytics. And, with a view to increasing the viral activity of those images and files, HootSuite has just included an option that allows users to comment on them and to attach other photos or documents to their comments.

HootSuite has a list of users that includes companies such as Disney, Fox and Dell. Discovery Channel marketing communications team member Grace Suriel recently told mashable.com about how she uses the service to track what people are saying about their programs. “It’s great seeing how many people click on the links I tweet,” Suriel said. “When something is a hit, it’s very exciting. When a link doesn’t perform as well, I see it as a challenge from @AnimalPlanet’s followers to point them to content that is more interesting, engaging and current.”