Entries in links (5)
Fail Whale and others failing Twitter
Recent weeks have seen the launch of several sites related to Twitter’s failings, mostly related to the site’s notorious downtime. I recently blogged on the increasing number of sites that help Twitter users when the site goes offline. (See link below.)
What do such sites mean for Twitter and its users?
Some sites cater to Twitter users who’d rather be Tweeting and give them an alternative. For example, Twiddict allows users to stack their microposts which then load to Twitter once it comes back on line, “Tweet your heart out … and avoid life-changing withdrawal symptoms during Twitter downtime.”
Others such as Fail Whale soothe users by suggesting users shouldn’t get uptight about downtime. Fail Whale is “to poke fun at the people who seem to take online social network downtime a little too seriously.” And Tweeple love it. Indeed, Fail Whale has already established a solid following. Its Facebook group has grown to almost 1,250 fans in less than a week since its inception June 24.
However, such sites are doing Twitter more harm than good. They act as a pressure valve, when Twitter needs more pressure, not less. Twitter developers need pressure to get it right, fix downtime, and to communicate with users ahead of time rather than just dropping a feature here and there to limit server requests.
By pandering to the feelings of dedicated but frustrated followers, sites such as Fail Whale divert attention from the real problems of the service. The result? Users will turn to FriendFeed, Plurk and other microblog sites (which now number several dozen).
And slowly but surely, loyalty will dwindle and Twitter will lose its audience. VC will dry up as the smart money turns to more reliable services that can deliver. As I have blogged about before, microblogging is too important to depend solely on one model or one service. If Twitter doesn’t get it right, others will step in. Fail Whale and its ilk will only highlight Twitter’s problems and lead to its eventual demise.
Related post
What to do when Twitter goes down
Related links
Twiddict
Fail Whale
FriendFeed
Plurk
What to do when Twitter goes down?
Twitter’s up! Nope, down again. Up, down, up. We’ve all been frustrated when the notoriously unreliable service goes offline. But let’s live with the growing pains for a bit, and instead think what else we can do. Okay, we can catch up on email, surf YouTube or Facebook, or write blog posts.
Roger
in Twitter, links, hints and tips
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The future of social networking: Consolidation or fragmentation?
The past two or three years have brought social media to the mainstream Internet. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and more recently Twitter, are the buzz de jour.
But whither Twitter and its ilk? Analysts and lay folk alike question the future of these popular apps. They’re fine for fun, chatting, catching up and sharing but where is it all headed?
Roger
in social media, links, business, trends
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Follow you, follow me: finding people on Twitter
OK, so you’ve discovered Twitter. But how are you going to make the most of it? How do you find among the 1 million or so Twitterers (or Tweeple) who to follow?
To Follow Or Not To Follow
As with so many things in life, what “counts” is quality, not quantity.
Friends for Sale?
What’s up with selling off your friends? A new way to make money?
Andrew Baron, co-founder of the pioneering online video series Rocketboom, has put his Twitter account up for sale on eBay. The latest report in BusinessWeek has bidders upping the price of his account to more than $1,500. But is it a viable business model? Probably not.