But – working with Google can be a cautionary tale. Anyone remember Dodgeball? It was one of the first microblogging services, where you could notify your friends (and crushes) where you were. Google also bought them and everyone was just as excited. It soon bacame clear that Dodgeball was not very high on the list of Google’s priorities, development lagged and momentum stopped. Frustrated, in April 2007, Dodgeball’s founders left to pursue other projects.

Now Google’s a smart company and I’m sure learned from that last go round. But before people start pointing to this deal as the "Twitter-killer" – let’s take a step back and reflect on history. Jaiku has already put the breaks on new users (you can still be invited by a friend) and are working with the Google engineers to develop a stronger service. Great – but the ball’s in Google’s court, not Jaiku’s, so we’ll have to see how quickly they turn this around.

Twitter will be fine, better even by competition.

Robert Scoble thinks that this isn’t about Twitter at all, it’s about Facebook. I think he’s right. With Google’s Orkut 2.0 coming on November 5th, it’s a whole new ballgame.

And maybe, just maybe, it’ll correct all of those scary, scary Facebook (and Facebook application)valuations. It makes my Bubble 1.0-survivor heart tremble.

BTW – another reason I love Twitter – Brian Solis of PR 2.0 fame, put out the following Twitter about the Jaiku story:

"Jaiku is a client of my agency FutureWorks, I’m hearing from writers that can’t reach google. DM me if u need anything and r on deadline." Awesome. He also thinks that Jaiku is more than a microblogging service, that its more of a lifestream.

I’ll defintely use Jaiku more in the future weeks and see if I can find the flow and integrate it in my life more. My friend Patrick is a fan – I’ve been putting it off, but now I’ll have to see if I agree.

I’ve dabbled with Social Media for years. RSS feeds for news, a blog here (Blogger), or there (LiveJournal), started a MySpace that didn’t really excite me, all – nice – but nothing really exciting. I loved learning new technologies, systems – but my real passion was testing productivity applications and services (much more fun than that looks written down here).

Then came Twitter. I joined in Dec 2006 – don’t remember how, although I blame/thank Daring Fireball – and I was instantly hooked. Love at first Tweet.

I wasn’t completely faithful. I was one of the people that followed Leo Laporte the night he left for (and broke!) Jaiku. Then came Pownce. I’m enjoying my Powncing and my friends there, but Twitter is still where I end up.

I also like the Twitter crew. They use their own product, are smart, they work hard and seem to treat their employees (and others) with respect. Not just because they gave them all iPhones (although that didn’t hurt). I wish them much success.

Twitter has opened me up to an entirely new sphere of influence. It has introduced me (not actually – in a stalker-kind of way) to developers, strategists, bloggers and personalities that I’d have not met (easily) elsewhere. Through these contacts and ‘friends” (in the social networking sense) I have expanded my knowledge, made significant contacts, started two blogs, changed jobs, have been asked to speak on Social Media and also contribute to a book.

In a very real way, Twitter changed my life.

Robert Scoble is the most prolific and influencial blogger in the Tech space today. From his time as the “Microsoft Blogger”, Robert has shared interviews on new tech advances, processes and people. He’s also a HUGE proponent of Facebook and uses it extensively as a means of communication – he posts videos (exclusive content), links, wall posts and comments each day.

I was on Twitter for a few months before I found Scoble through someone I was “following”. Through his Tweets (and blog, Facebook, etc.), I get an insight into Silicon Valley culture and personnel, that as a Silicon Alley girl, I would never have.

In this Fast Company article, Robert discusses the Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku microblogging services and their applications in business. I’m on all three and use them each differently – but Twitter has my heart.

(Via Scobleizer.)