Social Networking

Why Twitter IS Awesome

By Zach Flauaus ⋅ April 28, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

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One of the most explosive sites in the Web 2.0/social media area is Twitter. Twitter has spawned one of the most addicting and fun places on the web where people can get together, post random thoughts, and meet new people. It has also spawned clones including Pownce and Jaiku, neither of which are as popular as Twitter. Some say Jaiku is greater than Twitter, Pownce is greater than Twitter, Pownce pwns Jaiku and Twitter, and and combination that hasn’t been mentioned, but there are reasons why Twitter is still king.

1. User base.
We all usually use what our friends use, MySpace being a huge example. Twitter is has a huge user/fanbase and it keeps growing everyday. It’s really a simple reason why: It’s been around the longest. Plain and simple.

2. Ease of use
What’s easier than typing a your username and password, clicking “Log In” and then seeing a big box that says “What are you doing?” From there, you can post what you’re doing, a short blurb, an @message, a link, or whatever you want to really, it’s just simple. Jaiku is the same and different, while Pownce has different options and just a tad more complicated looking.

3. Features… Err, Lack thereof
While Jaiku and Pownce have more features than Twitter, there’s just something about Twitter that screams “Simplicity.” Once again, it’s probably the big box that says ‘What are you doing?” or just the fact that it’s 140 characters, which brings me to my fourth point…

4. 140 Character Limit
Seriously, we don’t want to read your whole life story on a social site. If you want to blog about your personal life, that’s fine; that’s what blogs are for. But for what Twitter is designed for, 140 characters is great. That, and it’s fun to see if you can get your point across in 140 characters.

5. Integration
Honestly, most sites anymore have a “Twitter” feature that somehow link your Twitter account to their site. Facebook has a Twitter application; WordPress has multiple Twitter plugins, heck, Twitter has spawned various sites that integrate with them like TwitPic, TweetStats, and Tweeterboard. In addition to sites, Twitter has desktop integration with the OS X-only Twitterrific and the cross-platform Snitter, along with various apps on the iPhone and the BlackBerry.

Overall, Twitter is definitely here to stay. If you have a Twitter account, and haven’t already, feel free to follow me at Twitter.com/zachflauaus. I’ll see you in the social!

Tags: Jaiku, Pownce, Twitter