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The World of Twitter and Microblogging

Four Reasons Why Twitter is Better than Google ReaderToday

It wasn’t that long ago that I was an enthusiastic Google Reader user with more than 300 feeds. Not that I read all of them all the time but it was a collection of blogs put together over time that struck me as interesting and/or necessary.

Over the past month or so, however, my Google Reader account has been collecting dust but it wasn’t until recently that it even dawned on me this had happened.

Why the move away from Google Reader To be honest, Twitter has replaced it. Most of the news and blog posts that I find interesting are being delivered to me on Twitter.

Here’s why Twitter is better than Google Reader:

1. It’s an easier format. Rather than scrolling from blog to blog, Twitter streams at you on a continual basis - kind of like the old CNN news ticker - so if you see anything that catches your eye, you can check it out.

2. You can customize the content being presented to you by following people who share your professional, personal or political interests. In some respects, you’re creating a TwitterRoll (sort of a like a blogroll) of like-minded people that you trust to deliver interesting things.

3. You can easily communicate with the people who are delivering you the news on Twitter. If you see an item that you like or find interesting, you can quickly send that person a message and get a conversation going with them and other people.

4. Following lots of people on Twitter is easier than the same amount of

twtapps: Simple is BeautifulYesterday

Simplicity is beautiful.

Far too many online applications have chock-a-block with cool features that overwhelm users rather than engaging them. The need to impress has caused simplicity to take a backseat to the wow factor.

Given this reality, twtapps stands out from the crowd with a trio of applications that are simple, clean and useful. The applications are:

- twtcard: a greeting card you can send through Twitter or Facebook

- twtpoll, which lets you do simple polls on Twitter

- twtvite, a no-frills invitation service.

The Twitterrati Twitter DirectoryJanuary 7

In several posts, I’ve alluded to how difficult it can be finding the “good stuff” - aka the useful, interesting and valuable Twitter-related services. So, I’ve decided to take things into my hands by launching a “Cool Twitter Apps” directory as way to collect the “good stuff”.

Each day, I’ll try to add one new application to the directory after it’s been given the Twitterrati Seal of Approval (TSA). If you’ve got recommendations, send ‘em along or leave a comment.

The Twitter Ecosystem is Being NeuteredJanuary 7

Truth be told, I love the Twitter ecosystem almost as much as I love Twitter itself.

I love how the community has embraced Twitter, and created new and innovative services while Twitter twiddles its collective thumbs.

However, I’m concerned that the Twitter party may be coming to an abrupt end.

How come?

The biggest problem is there’s a growing lack of trust among the Twiterrati about Twitter-related services. It used to be that providing your username and password would happen would even thinking about it. That’s quickly changing due to growing concerns about phishing, spam and hack attacks.

In some respects, it’s a sign that Twitter is evolving and maturing. After all, no one pays much attention to nascent services. But when they become big enough, that’s when they become interesting to the evil people out there.

Personally, I’m backing away from any Twitter-related service that ask me to provide my username and password. The issue is I just can’t be sure how this information is going to be used - even if the service looks really cool.

It’s a crying shame because this reluctance could emasculate the Twitter ecosystem, and destroy a huge part of what has made Twitter so interesting.

Technorati Tags: twitter

Hack AttackJanuary 6

Twitter’s Biz Stone reports that 33 Twitter accounts, including Rick Sanchez’s and Obama Barack’s, had been hacked into by someone who had gained access to support tools used by Twitter employees.

This incident and last weekend’s phishing problems are not the best way to bring in the New Year. If I were one of Twitter’s investors, it might be time for a management meeting to figure out what’s happening.

For a service on the cusp of hitting the mainstream and, as important, attracting a lucrative take-over candidate, these kind of incidents are not the kind of thing that can be tolerated.

Technorati Tags: biz stone, twitter