New Ideas For New Generation: 5 Reasons Twitter Will Outlast Social Networks

Saturday, 7 April 2012

5 Reasons Twitter Will Outlast Social Networks

When Google+ was introduced to the world, it caused a lot of excitement. Tech blogs went into overdrive about the supposed Facebook killer. Over time there is a lot of debate on Google+ failing because it has not managed to really dent Facebook. There are many people who are not too happy about Facebook either.

So who will survive in the long run? Facebook or Google+? I believe the answer to it is neither and Twitter will outlast them all.

#1. Twitter is anonymous

Twitter does not expect users to use their full names and associate it with your account. This sort of anonymity simply does not exist on Facebook or Google+. Also Twitter does not expect users to have only one account. You can have multiple accounts and they can be about anything you want.

#2. Network of strangers

On Facebook we connect with our family, friends and even colleagues. That is pretty great but the fact is most Facebook contacts are a phone call away. Twitter is a different network where almost all the people we follow and more importantly consume information from are complete strangers.

#3. Breaking News

Twitter has consistently broken news from around the world a lot faster than traditional news media. This has made even the traditional new media scan Twitter and tap into it for local updates and opinions. I doubt any news channel or web service can compete with the ability of Twitter to make a 140 character update into a trending global story within minutes. Presently no other web service can compete on this point with Twitter.

#4. Twitter has more potential to make money than others

Even if Facebook is selling ads and making millions if not billions, there is always the problem of having relevancy to their ads. Facebook has all my personal data and can sell me personalized ads, but I am unlikely to click on a Facebook ad. The reason for this is because I am not on Facebook trying to check the latest trends but rather to connect with friends.

I might actually click on a sponsored tweet as I often check out latest trends on Twitter. The idea is simple, selling something to people who are looking for something is easier.

#5. Platform Vs Network

Facebook is a great place to connect with people but it expects you to play by their rules. They expect users to access Facebook on the website or through their official apps. Twitter is incredibly open and I won't be surprised that a majority of Twitter users access it through 3rd party apps. Twitter seems less like a network and more like a platform. Platforms are not specific to a particular purpose and users have to define why and how to use these platforms.

A lot of tech experts might not give Twitter a great chance ahead of Facebook, but then nobody gave much of a chance for a web search engine called Google or a free email service called Hotmail.

What are your views on Twitter and it's future on the internet? Do drop in your comments.

-- This Post 5 Reasons Twitter Will Outlast Social Networks is Published on Devils Workshop .