With all of the up and down (time) of Twitter, many people are looking at alternatives for their microblogging platform of choice. Tonight I noticed (ironically through Twitter) a number of my friends trying out Plurk.

My Plurk Page

Plurk has a very visual timeline that also tracks the comments in real time (the unread comments show up in your browser tab in FireFox). Right now, there’s no way to differentiate comments to your plurks or your friends without actually clicking on the “Show all” link.

They also track interaction by awarding karma points (from the website):

“Every plurker has his/her own karma value. It is recalculated every day and falls within these intervals:

• 0.00 to 21.00: You are in the state of creation
• 21.00 to 41.00: You are in the state of maintenance
• 41.00 to 61.00: You are enlightened
• 61.00 to 81.00: You are so close to Plurk Nirvana
• 81.00 to 100.00: You have reached Plurk Nirvana!

Your karma score is directly influenced by your and your friends Plurk activity. The more active you are, the more points you’ll get. Using various features of Plurk such as instant messaging or uploading a profile image will also help.

Invite your real friends to boost your karma!”

It’s weird that you can’t fill out your profile with a description (250 characters) without reaching 40 karma points.

There are growing pains - I’ve already gotten a couple of database errors and I was unable to use any of the “Find a Friend” tools. But there are a couple of things I like - the “Alert” feature makes it easy to see who friends you (or accepted your requests) and there’s a group feature - “Cliques” - which has always been a missing Twitter feature for me.

It’s fun to try out, but the true test is how easily it folds into my workflow. I do like that Plurk is supported by Profilactic (which feeds my Lifestream page) and a number of people that I follow are already trying it out. As the service (and my use of it) grows, I’ll post my updated impressions.

Please feel free to friend me on Plurk.

UPDATE: Interesting Reading:

Plurk: Our Philosophy in a Walnut Shell

Sean Percival - Plurk: Timeline Based Microblogging

Related posts

• I Still Love Twitter (7)

There’s going to be a lot of news about this today as Google scoops Facebook’s spotlight (until next week when FB’s up at bat with their “SocialAds” announcement). I’ll be looking at all the news, but I’m interested in viewpoints. Who’s thinking what.

One of the great people I saw and met at PodCampBoston this weekend was Christopher Penn (one of the founders). In a post today, Christopher discusses OpenSocial and how it will aggregate and reference data across participating SN platforms.

If this works, I see this as the ultimate social network aggregator. One profile to rule them all. It’s been the missing link in social media - one that many have tried to address before. Plaxo is doing a fine job - but for some reason I can’t integrate it into my lifestream. But Google, Ning (where I have JaneQuigley.com and others are where I live. So is Facebook. But if Google makes it easier to social network elsewhere - somewhere where my friends have also found it easier and fun to be - why would I stay?

Which is a shame, because I love FB and the way it’s grown the company, my friends, my groups, etc. Not so fond of the vampires, zombies, etc. - you take the good with the bad(evil).

(Via Awaken Your Superhero.)

Related posts

• No related posts.

I’m falling in love with Twitter. Again.

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.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Yappd is a Visual Twitter Clone : “Yappd is a new micro-blogging tool with an emphasis on the visual”

Now I’m a huge Twitter fan and user, and have a lot of respect for the team behind it. I’m also a Pownce and (lesser so) Jaiku. So I was very interested in this story on Mashable today. The difference so far is that people can send picture posts.

Has anyone been using this service yet?

I can’t possibly add yet another service, but I’m always interested in other’s experience.

(Via Mashable.)

Related posts

• No related posts.

This is a great article that focuses on growing your social networks in terms of relationships and not just numbers. Sometimes in the midst of adding new “friends” or “followers”, we forget that these are actually people with lives (hopefully) outside of their computers/networks. It’s great to find out what else you have in common!

Improve Your Social Network : [chrisbrogan.com]:

“Sometimes we forget that social networks are more than just software. We forget that beyond a bunch of friend-adding, and asking for links or votes, that there’s more to building online communities and keeping relationships. A strong social network requires some tending and care, just the way real live relationships need attention and deliberate effort. Here are some ideas on how to tend your digital networks and reach the people on the other side of the screen.”

(Via Scoble’s Link Blog - Twitter).)

Related posts

• No related posts.

Great story on Pownce in yesterday’s NY Times -

I’ve been on Powne for about a month and, while it hasn’t integrated into my life as easily as Twitter has, I’ve found new “friends” (different from Twitter and Jaiku). And I have noticed my use growing in the last 2 weeks. So it’ll be interesting - especially in light of Twitter’s new VC money - to see how these two services evolve.

A Social-Networking Service With a Velvet Rope - New York Times: “”

SLIPSTREAM
A Social-Networking Service With a Velvet Rope
By JASON PONTIN

Published: July 29, 2007
The hottest startup in Silicon Valley — minutely examined by bloggers, panted after by investors — is Pownce, but only a chosen few can try out its Web site.

(Via NYTimes.com.)

EDIT: Epicenter - Wired Blogs has posted a reaction to the NYTimes article, “Kevin Rose Pwns The NY Times“. They compare Kevin Rose to Steve jobs, and make the point that the NYTimes didn’t speak to Rose when writing the article (does this make it more of an opt-ed piece?).

Related posts

• No related posts.

Best definition I read so far - when anyone asks me from now on, I’m sending this!

What Twitter is (Scripting News): “Home > Archive >  2007 >  July >  27

What Twitter is

Friday, July 27, 2007 by Dave Winer.

Congrats to the lead investors, Union Square Ventures and the angels, and the entrepreneurs.  

Now seems like a good time to pause and review what Twitter is. 

(Via Dave Winer.)

Related posts

• No related posts.

I’ve just started reading “Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business”, by Larry Weber.

The book talks about how he future of marketing is “a two-way street” (Amazon.com) and that you have to “communicate with, not at, customers”. I agree. Companies, especially large corporate entities, don’t own their brand or message anymore. Users will adapt, modify as they like (and sometimes give back) what they see on the web - it’s the ultimate communication mashup.

I do think that Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr (especially after video), YouTube and MySpace(for a time…) are increasingly important for any company’s marketing program. I think Second Life and other metaverses will have a strong part to play (look at IBM’s use of SL as an example of forward-thinking corporate managemnt).

Everyone’s a marketer, designer, blogger, etc. now. Soon the call to action won’t be “Embrace change…” - it’ll be far too late.

Related posts

• No related posts.

As I stated - I’m looking forward to seeing the moetization of the Facebook Platform - when and if it can b e done. Below is an article posted today on Inside Facebook discussing the interesting focus of social recommendation and the platform.

Inside Facebook » Search, Discovery, and Facebook: “Inside Facebook
Tracking the latest Facebook news and apps

Search, Discovery, and Facebook July 27th, 2007

There’s a lot of buzz around the internet about whether Facebook is going to start an ad network to monetize its application platform. Lookery, SocialMedia, and a few others are certainly betting that there’s a market for such a network. In the view of many, the holy grail is of course an in-Facebook network which uses Facebook’s demographic data to target users. An advertiser could then say, ‘I want to serve my ads to 18-24 year-olds who like sports,’ for example. (Click the link for more)

(Via Inside Facebook.)

Related posts

• No related posts.

I’m posting this entry from BuzzMachine about a Facebook developer’s gathering. What exciting is that this platform is only 45 days old and look at it’s growth rate!

Today, I’m taking at look at 30Boxes FBexchange (a Facebook ad network?) and am upgrading my NewsGator widget account to play with more customization.
(Also - new poll to the right….)

I went to a Facebook developers’ hackathon last night at Thumbplay in New York. I wasn’t the invited participant. Son Jake was. I was merely the chauffeur. Nonetheless, it was a nonvirtual Facebook for me, for I found all sorts of friends there: developer colleague, show-biz pal, investment guy, political geek. Everybody’s into Facebook.

(Via BuzzMachine.)

Related posts

• No related posts.