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Here, there, and everywhere, we have all been talking about Plurk over the last week or so. And while many of us are talking about the site, I think the key point here is that Plurk's emergence could validate the micro-blogging space as a whole.
Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku all offer a somewhat similar layout and functionality, and are more or less aimed at the same crowd. But Plurk is the clear maverick of the micro-blogging camp. It has a funky UI that almost everyone instantly hates. It's supposedly aimed at teens. It has headless animals for mascots and lets you add dancing bananas and dozens of other emoticons in your plurks (messages left on Plurk).
But whether you love or hate Plurk (and there's little wiggle-room), the key takeaway for me is that Plurk has kept the 140-ish character backbone of other micro-blogging sites, but added its own distinctive look and feel. And it's aiming itself at teens (and adults that like to occasionally act like teens!). Plurk has opened the door for the next entrant in this space to target a specific market with a unique layout and functionality.
Which I think goes a long way toward validating the micro-blogging space as a whole. Many people are predictably trying to decide who 'wins'; Twitter or Plurk. In this case, I think they both do. Plurk has a unique look and feel that sets is apart from the rest of the micro-blogging crowd. And Plurk's growth will help expand the possibilities and awareness of the micro-blogging space, which brings more exposure to Twitter, as the dominant player in this space.
As with almost everything else in social media right now, I can't wait to see what comes next! Will we see more competitors in this space emerge that are focused on niche markets with functionality and a UI that's tailored to its target audience? I believe we will, and if we do, we can thank Plurk for holding the door open to what's possible in the micro-blogging space.
BTW if you are new to Plurk and confused as hell over how to navigate the site, I created a sort of primer on Plurk over at The Viral Garden that you might want to check out.
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Comments
Mack,
I'll side with Forrester here: Web 2.0 will produce very few businesses that survive, as none have figured out how to monetize their efforts. I suspect micro-blogging will make it but not as it is presently available.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 06.09.08
Lewis I agree, the formats will survive, but there has to be a shakeout of the players in each sector, there's just too much clutter. For example, will Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku all be around in 2 years? Twitter has a good chance to, but how long can bit players like Pownce and Jaiku continue to get funding if they aren't making money?
If Plurk takes off, then I think it will tell everyone else that the microblogging format works, given that it's aimed at a specific target market.
Posted by: mack collier | 06.09.08
Aimed at teens? Thanks for telling me. I can now excuse myself from wasting even more time there.
Posted by: Paul Chaney | 06.09.08
Paul...and adults that occasionally indulge in acting like teens (waves!!!).
Posted by: mack collier | 06.09.08
So now I see the fruits of all of the time that you've spent on Plurk. Twitter's growth and now Plurk's emulation validate the usefulness of micro-blogging as a communication vehicle. Whether or not one of these two succeeds as the micro-blogging platform remains to be seen, but I think we will have micro-blogging for a long time.
Posted by: Warren Sukernek | 06.09.08
Warren I learned the hard way with Twitter, the best way to see if a social site has value for you is to 'go all in'. That's why I waded hip deep into Plurk last week.
Now having said that, I think that right now it has the 'fun' factor, but I don't see a ton of professional benefits. I think Twitter is still much better suited to professional networking.
But at least now I know how much time to allot to Plurk, and have a better idea of what to expect.
And I am pretty excited to see what the next few competitors in this space look like, and who they are aimed at.
Posted by: mack collier | 06.09.08
@ischafer (Ian Schafer, CEO of Deep Focus) has a great idea on how to cashify Twitter et al: http://www.ianschafer.com/2008/06/06/thoughts-on-twitterfriendfeedplurketc-business-models/
As for Plurk, the biggest hassle, as I blogged today, is that it shows you conversations between your friends and people you're not following. Which leads to all sorts of "ruh-roh, I'm eavesdropping" scenarios.
Posted by: Alan Wolk (Toad) | 06.10.08
Count me as one who doesn't "get" Plurk. I got tired of scrolling and I couldn't seem to transfer all of my contacts. But I'll look over your primer and see if there is something in the UI that I missed.
Still, with Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFeed, I'm not sure if I have time or energy for one more social networking tool. I agree that the market is a bit saturated right now.
Posted by: Liz | 06.10.08
"Still, with Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFeed, I'm not sure if I have time or energy for one more social networking tool. I agree that the market is a bit saturated right now."
Liz this is the problem I have, if I find a new site/tool that I want to use, it means cutting down or stopping the use of an existing site. When I really started ramping up my Twitter usage, it meant I had to all but stop using LinkedIn and Facebook.
Posted by: mack collier | 06.10.08