Posts Tagged ‘ Online Communities ’

May 19
Tuesday

Why Facebook Will Never Be Twitter

Filed under Opinion

twitter-logo-facebook-logoFacebook has been getting a series of facelifts recently, and while Facebook itself is convinced that they’re doing it so their users can enjoy the service better and take advantage of all the features, we all know they’re trying to jack Twitter’s swagger.

Sadly, it makes sense. The internet isn’t all about original ideas anymore, it’s mainly about how to get the most users by stealing as many ideas as possible from other sites and repackaging them as original. Before trying to be Twitter, Facebook was trying to be FriendFeed, which in turn was trying to be more like Twitter (weird, right?).

Twitter’s success doesn’t come because it offers a better service (it’s down almost everyday, be it planned or not) or because it offers great communication opportunities (while there are thousands of new users everyday, the idea is  not that attractive to people, which is why most of your friend’s aren’t on it already). Twitter’s success can be credited to one thing: it’s simple.

The API is easy to implement, so developers use it, spawning new and creative applications daily. Tech blogs pick up these new applications, and no matter how creative and fun to use it is, they always mention Twitter’s name. This is free publicity that draw’s attention to Twitter’s simple-yet-quirky service.
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All entries filed under this archive


Is Twitter Making Us Immoral?
Comments - Posted 04.15.09
I don’t think so, but researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang thinks otherwise. She makes an argument that has an ounce of truth: "If things are happening too fast, you may not ever fully experience emotions about other people's psychological states, and that would have implications for your morality." The basic point that she ...continue
How FriendFeed Can One-Up Facebook
Comments - Posted 04.07.09
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="229" caption="FriendFeed: almost there, still work to be done"][/caption] Have you noticed how the hip-tech crowd uses FriendFeed, but the rest of us tend to ignore it? Well, there’s a reason for that. FriendFeed is innovative (the dude that invented Gmail is behind it, so you know they ...continue
Going After Established Competitors Isn’t Easy
Comments - Posted 03.30.09
[caption id="attachment_2997" align="alignright" width="159" caption="Think there isn't enough competition?"][/caption] Should this stop you from going after your dreams with your idea? No way. But, you’re going to have to try extra hard to differentiate your startup from that already huge one you’re trying to go up against. People aren’t going to go ...continue
How to Go Mainstream with Your Startup
Comments - Posted 03.30.09
There must be nothing nicer than seeing your startup go mainstream. When everyone is talking about a startup, much like Google in the past and Twitter today, the founders probably feel a pride that can’t be compared to everything. It must be something like seeing your child graduate from college and ...continue
7 Ways to Promote Your Startup in Facebook
Comments - Posted 03.19.09
Facebook keeps growing at amazing rates, so it’s not wonder that startup owners are starting to look at it as a way to promote their business. But, how do you go about promoting your business through Facebook? Is it as simple as creating a profile and letting it sit there, waiting ...continue
Why We All Love Twitter and No One Cares About Your Startup
Comments - Posted 03.10.09
Hate it or love it, Twitter is here to stay. You might say “that’s fine, but why does everyone talk about it constantly?”. The fact is, we don’t really talk about Twitter in itself that much, we talk about the many sites that add its features. How does that work? Well, ...continue
PR and Publicity Ain’t the Same Thing
Comments - Posted 03.10.09
Wow! Really? I thought they were at least related. But, after reading this great article from the PR man himself, Seth Godin, I learned that they’re not the same thing. How come they’re not the same thing? Well, here is a short definition of each, compiled from what I understood from ...continue
4 Steps Towards Free Publicity
Comments - Posted 03.06.09
[caption id="attachment_2797" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Why spend cash when you can get it free?"][/caption] If you’re like the average startup entrepreneur, then you’re strapped for cash. Do you need to get more money, in order to buy some long-needed publicity? If you do, then you’re going to love this post. Why pay for ...continue
Hate Facebook Alerts? Nutshellmail Has What You Need
Comments - Posted 02.17.09
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Image via CrunchBase"][/caption] I admit it, I’m addicted to Facebook. Besides being a great place to meet friends, play games, find old friends, etc., it’s plain fun. What’s not so fun about Facebook are the constant email alerts you get when someone sends you a message, pokes ...continue