Comments on: Flamboyance of Twitter Story – and The Risk [Hype/Hoopla] http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/ We Heart Startups! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:53:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Shyam Kapur http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114713 Shyam Kapur Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:53:01 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114713 I enjoyed reading the thoughts expressed in the post and the comments. It is pretty obvious that opinion about the value of Twitter is still quite sharply polarized. Some think that Twitter and other such services are just a fad, the content on them is mostly useless. Others swear by them. One contribution I want to make to settle this debate is to point everyone to TipTop, the only real-time, semantic, social search engine at http://FeelTipTop.com If after you do a couple of searches on this engine, you remain unconvinced about the value of Twitter, I would be both very surprised and disappointed. I enjoyed reading the thoughts expressed in the post and the comments. It is pretty obvious that opinion about the value of Twitter is still quite sharply polarized. Some think that Twitter and other such services are just a fad, the content on them is mostly useless. Others swear by them. One contribution I want to make to settle this debate is to point everyone to TipTop, the only real-time, semantic, social search engine at http://FeelTipTop.com If after you do a couple of searches on this engine, you remain unconvinced about the value of Twitter, I would be both very surprised and disappointed.

]]> By: Arvind http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114341 Arvind Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:41:32 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114341 Issue is not microblogging as whole, but only that of twitter's uplclimb unless the money invested was for philanthropic reasons (I read someone saying, twitter should not be seen as a business). Issue is not microblogging as whole, but only that of twitter’s uplclimb unless the money invested was for philanthropic reasons (I read someone saying, twitter should not be seen as a business).

]]> By: Arjun Ram http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114339 Arjun Ram Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:25:37 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114339 While you make some valid points, the fundamental question to isnt clear to me - Are you picking bones against twitter as the microblogging platform or Microblogging as a whole? I am assuming the latter based on the tone of the article. If the issue is against twitter then the case is pretty clear. The web is successful because its decentralized and at some point in the next 6 months if twitter doesnt address this, other solutions are going to appear (statusnet/omb). But if you are argument is against microblogging as a whole, I would beg to disagree. It might seem as though there isnt an apparent value in it to the end user. Things along similar lines were said about blogging in 2002. What drives the a-listers(who end up popularizing the platform) is the quality of conversation. Be it blogging, facebook, or twitter. Usage patterns for new platforms take time, and when they arrive so do the marketers. The answer lies in the execution. How do u still maintain quality of conversation while expanding. At moment, tools are being built to harness the value of twitter, be it through media companies or search companies. It is in these tools that the end user will find value. There in lies the success of twitter. Not everyone has the time to read and even few people have time to write a long comment such as this but a boatload of them have something to say in less than 140 characters. Yes they will move onto something better/smarter in a few year but such is the evolution of the web. Doesnt mean there isnt value. People still chat on instant messaging. They just dont chat on it all the time! Microblogging has its place in the ecosystem. While you make some valid points, the fundamental question to isnt clear to me – Are you picking bones against twitter as the microblogging platform or Microblogging as a whole? I am assuming the latter based on the tone of the article.

If the issue is against twitter then the case is pretty clear. The web is successful because its decentralized and at some point in the next 6 months if twitter doesnt address this, other solutions are going to appear (statusnet/omb).

But if you are argument is against microblogging as a whole, I would beg to disagree. It might seem as though there isnt an apparent value in it to the end user. Things along similar lines were said about blogging in 2002. What drives the a-listers(who end up popularizing the platform) is the quality of conversation. Be it blogging, facebook, or twitter.

Usage patterns for new platforms take time, and when they arrive so do the marketers. The answer lies in the execution. How do u still maintain quality of conversation while expanding.

At moment, tools are being built to harness the value of twitter, be it through media companies or search companies. It is in these tools that the end user will find value. There in lies the success of twitter.

Not everyone has the time to read and even few people have time to write a long comment such as this but a boatload of them have something to say in less than 140 characters. Yes they will move onto something better/smarter in a few year but such is the evolution of the web. Doesnt mean there isnt value.

People still chat on instant messaging. They just dont chat on it all the time! Microblogging has its place in the ecosystem.

]]> By: Arvind http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114320 Arvind Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:21:39 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114320 U mean twitter has greater leverage to monetize just because corporates r using it??? Can u explain how?? FB is cash positive already and so for a reason. So no point comparing it with revenue case of twitter. cheers, arvind U mean twitter has greater leverage to monetize just because corporates r using it??? Can u explain how??

FB is cash positive already and so for a reason. So no point comparing it with revenue case of twitter.

cheers,
arvind

]]> By: venkat http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114318 venkat Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:57:58 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114318 I kind of disagree a little bit here. I find more value in a service like twitter than FB anyday. In the long run, they would add more value to the entire ecosytem than these social networks. Even from monetization stand point, they stand better chances as it's proven that corporates already use it very effectively. I kind of disagree a little bit here. I find more value in a service like twitter than FB anyday. In the long run, they would add more value to the entire ecosytem than these social networks.
Even from monetization stand point, they stand better chances as it’s proven that corporates already use it very effectively.

]]> By: Aditya http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114305 Aditya Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:10:34 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114305 Twitter should not be considered as a business only. Twitter is an invention like email - a new communication protocol. They've invented a new way of communicating - 140 chars or less and real-time updates. It is a source of information not available otherwise, like trends, that's why Google and Bing tied up with Twitter. Email as a profitable business was once a big question mark, maybe it still is, and likewise Twitter will take time to figure a way to monetize tweets. But let's not view Twitter as a regular startup - its something more. Twitter should not be considered as a business only. Twitter is an invention like email – a new communication protocol. They’ve invented a new way of communicating – 140 chars or less and real-time updates. It is a source of information not available otherwise, like trends, that’s why Google and Bing tied up with Twitter. Email as a profitable business was once a big question mark, maybe it still is, and likewise Twitter will take time to figure a way to monetize tweets. But let’s not view Twitter as a regular startup – its something more.

]]> By: arvind http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114299 arvind Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:38:03 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114299 hmmm lol :-) hmmm lol :-)

]]> By: Ashish http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114297 Ashish Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:35:38 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114297 I will add him to 'Spammers.AllTop' list :D I will add him to ‘Spammers.AllTop’ list :D

]]> By: Anuj Rathi http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114295 Anuj Rathi Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:33:26 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114295 That's why a "list" feature was introduced last week. You could 'list' people and not follow them. That way, their tweets would not appear in your tweetline. But you could easily read their tweets by going to the relevant list that you created. I already have a list named "spammers", and the only person in the list is Guy Kawasaki. That’s why a “list” feature was introduced last week. You could ‘list’ people and not follow them. That way, their tweets would not appear in your tweetline. But you could easily read their tweets by going to the relevant list that you created.

I already have a list named “spammers”, and the only person in the list is Guy Kawasaki.

]]> By: Alok http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114293 Alok Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:59:35 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114293 I could never understand the hype about twitter. It is just me-too fad and will soon gonna die. If you follow 1-10 peoples, it is easy to keep track of things but once you start following more people, it just becomes useless pile of messages. I could never understand the hype about twitter. It is just me-too fad and will soon gonna die. If you follow 1-10 peoples, it is easy to keep track of things but once you start following more people, it just becomes useless pile of messages.

]]> By: arvind http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114287 arvind Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:01:52 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114287 U mean the use case of twitter? Yes, but then that is too narrow to meet the demand against $155m, isn't it? U mean the use case of twitter? Yes, but then that is too narrow to meet the demand against $155m, isn’t it?

]]> By: Ramesh http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114286 Ramesh Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:28:42 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114286 Well twitter seems to be pretty effective in information distribution. So it could be a good distribution channel and corporates can pay to distribute the content. Like accounts could be charged for being verified and this could be an annual charge. As an example, I follow (nothing but subscribe to) timeoutblr which gives me information but also puts in advertizements about their latest issues. I would be willing to follow bmw if I have a BMW car and want to know about their new service stations, recalls etc, making it a very effective channel to reach out to the customers. Like mailing list but a little different since here there is no spam an only the company can talk to you but others cannot talk to you unless you really want. Could facebook enable the same functionality. Sure it can, "Become a Fan" is pretty close to that. Well twitter seems to be pretty effective in information distribution. So it could be a good distribution channel and corporates can pay to distribute the content. Like accounts could be charged for being verified and this could be an annual charge.

As an example, I follow (nothing but subscribe to) timeoutblr which gives me information but also puts in advertizements about their latest issues. I would be willing to follow bmw if I have a BMW car and want to know about their new service stations, recalls etc, making it a very effective channel to reach out to the customers. Like mailing list but a little different since here there is no spam an only the company can talk to you but others cannot talk to you unless you really want.

Could facebook enable the same functionality. Sure it can, “Become a Fan” is pretty close to that.

]]> By: Vivek Krishna http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114282 Vivek Krishna Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:33:24 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114282 On many sites typically only 10% of the audience contributes to the content,the rest of it just consumes it..Take youtube,flickr for example.On twitter I think the efforts of the interested few can still provide value to the rest of the world. I would not have said this with confidence before the search deals because twitter was then an ecosystem of its own.You had to get into it or use the 3rd party apps in order to reap its benefits i,e read the news or updates from people you follow. Not anymore. Twitter search results will show real time news for people who have not ever visited twitter but just saw those links via Google/Bing.Your argument does hold true if you consider twitter as just a social network, but it is now more than that and I think the search deal will unlock a lot of value even after mainstream interest dies down. On many sites typically only 10% of the audience contributes to the content,the rest of it just consumes it..Take youtube,flickr for example.On twitter I think the efforts of the interested few can still provide value to the rest of the world. I would not have said this with confidence before the search deals because twitter was then an ecosystem of its own.You had to get into it or use the 3rd party apps in order to reap its benefits i,e read the news or updates from people you follow.
Not anymore. Twitter search results will show real time news for people who have not ever visited twitter but just saw those links via Google/Bing.Your argument does hold true if you consider twitter as just a social network, but it is now more than that and I think the search deal will unlock a lot of value even after mainstream interest dies down.

]]> By: naman http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114280 naman Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:07:02 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114280 I agree to the point that it is not a pain killer and almost everyone (active users)out there is marketing himself. But the sheer size of it has made it a BIG tool... to get instant attention/help from anyone. I agree to the point that it is not a pain killer and almost everyone (active users)out there is marketing himself.

But the sheer size of it has made it a BIG tool… to get instant attention/help from anyone.

]]> By: siddharth http://www.pluggd.in/twitter-viable-business-hype-and-the-risk-297/comment-page-1/#comment-114278 siddharth Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:01:55 +0000 http://www.pluggd.in/?p=5740#comment-114278 That's a bold article, Arvind! Nice work. That’s a bold article, Arvind! Nice work.

]]>