twitter anyone?

[JimmyJack]

Re: twitter anyone?

here's a prediction:
In the '60s, it was, "don't trust anyone over 30."

In the 0-oughts, it's: "Don't join any social network your parents are on."

Twitter is already losing its glitter. Hacked twice in a week.

The big problem with Twitter is that there is no revenue model there. Twitter is operating on venture capital now, and hasn't figured out any way to monetize what they do. They pay for Web bandwidth and for SMS messages every time somebody Tweets. But no money is coming in.

The plan was to make something compelling and then sell it to Google or Facebook. Both passed on Twitter. With every update, Facebook is becoming more Twitter-like.

The clock is ticking on Twitter. There's no buyer on the horizon. Either they'll start throwing advertisements into people's Twitter streams, which will make people mad (imagine getting a bunch of unsolicited ads on your phone via Twitter) or they'll start charging a subscription fee. Either way, it'll drive people away from the service.

Meanwhile, Facebook is adding gazillions of users every day, and making bags of money. If I was a beat writer covering a D1 program, I'd put up a Facebook page (not a personal site, but a page dedicated to your coverage) and link it to my Twitter feed. That's the trifecta of social networking: Use Twitter and Facebook to drive people back to your revenue-generating site (in this case, TV's blog and the Argus Leader Web site).

[zooropa]

Re: twitter anyone?

The big problem with Twitter is that there is no revenue model there. Twitter is operating on venture capital now, and hasn't figured out any way to monetize what they do. They pay for Web bandwidth and for SMS messages every time somebody Tweets. But no money is coming in.

The plan was to make something compelling and then sell it to Google or Facebook. Both passed on Twitter. With every update, Facebook is becoming more Twitter-like.

The clock is ticking on Twitter. There's no buyer on the horizon. Either they'll start throwing advertisements into people's Twitter streams, which will make people mad (imagine getting a bunch of unsolicited ads on your phone via Twitter) or they'll start charging a subscription fee. Either way, it'll drive people away from the service.

Meanwhile, Facebook is adding gazillions of users every day, and making bags of money. If I was a beat writer covering a D1 program, I'd put up a Facebook page (not a personal site, but a page dedicated to your coverage) and link it to my Twitter feed. That's the trifecta of social networking: Use Twitter and Facebook to drive people back to your revenue-generating site (in this case, TV's blog and the Argus Leader Web site).

Twitter has made some noise about selling data-mining services. In theory, Twitter should be a pretty cheap site to run--in theory--and they shouldn't have an overwhelmingly large codebase to maintain, so (again) in theory they should have a pretty low break-even. Whether they'll ever get there--who knows. Maybe Google or MS/Yahoo is waiting for Twitter's VCs to get desperate to unload them. Shoot. Ten years ago Twitter would've already IPOed and the company would've been worth several billion dollars.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: twitter anyone?

Count me as one person who actually likes Twitter more than Facebook.

I use both, and they both have positive/negative features, but I find myself enjoying Twitter more. I don't have my Twitter account linked up with my mobile phone so I only get my Twitter updates online at my account. To me, Twitter is basically a news feed where I can keep tabs on my favorite personalites, sports teams, musicians, career contacts, and other info. Plus I can stay in direct contact with friends.

I like Facebook because of the more social aspect (more friends and family use it, pictures, etc.), but the incessant quizzes, polls, applications, and other garbage that show up in your news feed there drive me nuts. I don't care how well you know one of your other friends third child or what five foods are always in your refridgerator, don't take a poll to let me know. Twitter takes the great aspect of Facebook, the status update, and gives it to me in a nice, clean, direct form.

[JimmyJack]

Re: twitter anyone?

Twitter has made some noise about selling data-mining services. In theory, Twitter should be a pretty cheap site to run--in theory--and they shouldn't have an overwhelmingly large codebase to maintain, so (again) in theory they should have a pretty low break-even. Whether they'll ever get there--who knows. Maybe Google or MS/Yahoo is waiting for Twitter's VCs to get desperate to unload them. Shoot. Ten years ago Twitter would've already IPOed and the company would've been worth several billion dollars.

I agree there is value in the analytics they could sell to businesses (but why haven't they done anything with that yet?... maybe not as much value there as it might seem). And there's probably a threshold for in-stream ads that wouldn't bother too many people. One of the investors has compared Twitter to Google's first three years since Google didn't have much revenue then, either. The key, of course, is that Google quickly diversified its services beyond the simple search engine. Twitter remains a one-trick pony.

The depth of relationships (or to put it another way, the 'hooks' that draw you in and get you coming back) is what creates value online. That's why Facebook is so successful. They've created something that does a whole bunch of different things, yet remains easy to use and unique in its scope. I'm not sure what Twitter could add that would give it great value beyond the kinds of things journalists and businesses are already doing with it. I certainly enjoy reading what TV posts there, but I'd go somewhere else in a second if he posted it there. Not a lot of depth in my relationship with Twitter. That's why I don't see long-term value there.

[JimmyJack]

Re: twitter anyone?

Count me as one person who actually likes Twitter more than Facebook.

I use both, and they both have positive/negative features, but I find myself enjoying Twitter more. I don't have my Twitter account linked up with my mobile phone so I only get my Twitter updates online at my account. To me, Twitter is basically a news feed where I can keep tabs on my favorite personalites, sports teams, musicians, career contacts, and other info. Plus I can stay in direct contact with friends.

I like Facebook because of the more social aspect (more friends and family use it, pictures, etc.), but the incessant quizzes, polls, applications, and other garbage that show up in your news feed there drive me nuts. I don't care how well you know one of your other friends third child or what five foods are always in your refridgerator, don't take a poll to let me know. Twitter takes the great aspect of Facebook, the status update, and gives it to me in a nice, clean, direct form.

Watch for Facebook to continue to be more Twitter-like over time. I've read that they're looking at allowing you to create multiple "news" feeds (social, news, etc.) so you can do what you do with Twitter on your Facebook home. In that case, you could put the journalist feeds together in one place and avoid the "which type of clothespin are you?" quiz garbage more easily.

[SidelineObserver]

Re: twitter anyone?

Who is the other?

Unless I'm too old and dumb, I'd assume the hometown paper, The Brookings Register, has someone who covers the Jacks. The only complaint I'd have is their site isn't updated much and lacking severely.

[zooropa]

Re: twitter anyone?

Google quickly diversified its services beyond the simple search engine. Twitter remains a one-trick pony.

Of course, Google was, to begin with, a better commercial product than Twitter. Lots of opportunities to make money off a search engine (although, I'm becoming less and less impressed with the quality of their search results).

Not a lot of depth in my relationship with Twitter. That's why I don't see long-term value there.

OTOH, what I like about Twitter vs. Facebook is that Twitter just has little user-supplied tidbits on it. There's no clumsy collection of poorly managed add-ons, etc. I've been to the Janitor Bob Facebook page a few times to see if they recorded the concert at Borrowed Bucks, and it's just a mess---like every other Facebook & MySpace page I've ever been to.

Frankly, it'll be easier for me to just walk over to Michelle's and ask her than monkey around with Facebook, etc.

IMO, the next big thing will combine the simplicity of Twitter with the extended functionality/networking of Facebook.

[filbert]

Re: twitter anyone?

Unless I'm too old and dumb, I'd assume the hometown paper, The Brookings Register, has someone who covers the Jacks. The only complaint I'd have is their site isn't updated much and lacking severely.

If it isn't on the Internet, it doesn't really exist for a lot of us, especially those who aren't in Brookings County in this case . . .

[rabidrabbit]

Re: twitter anyone?

Unless I'm too old and dumb, I'd assume the hometown paper, The Brookings Register, has someone who covers the Jacks. The only complaint I'd have is their site isn't updated much and lacking severely.

IMHO, Yes, BR is typically about 3 days behind events, and good to catch up on the local sports scene, but rarely do you get the info on the website, essentially as it happens. Good info, typically written well and in-depth, but slow.

Argus, with TV's blogs/twitter/weekly type-in is REALLY GREAT coverage.

[NoVaJack]

Re: twitter anyone?

I'm telling you, give it a whirl this year, other than your pride what will it cost you? TV is all over it. If you haven't subscribed you're already missing out.

I wish TV himself would come on here and tell you what he has in store this year as far as Jacks coverage through Twitter......

I can see LIVE game updates from Tulsa, Fargo, Cedar City, Ft Wayne etc not to mention video feeds and you'll miss out simply b/c you didn't take 3 minutes to register. Not a bigee....just your loss....

I Tweet. Have for awhile as part of the job.
My kids don't, which proves my point - at least in my household.

As with anything, there are benefits and drawbacks. .... Some people can be profound in 140 characters. Some can't clear their throats. Some think a move from the couch to the refriegerator has meaning to the rest of the world. Getting to the former through the forests of the latter can be a massive waste of time.

There was a kind of strange, get-a-life pathology among the people who went on other social networks to whine about Twitter crashing.

I totally get the guy who designed a system where every time his toilet flushed it prompted a Tweet saying so.....THAT's profound....

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: twitter anyone?

TV's Twitter is very informative. Gives large amounts of information not just about SDSU athletics, but about conference foes and out of conference opponents. And even some random stuff about him. Twitter hasn't hit the SDSU campus very hard because some students are so attached to Facebook, but I'm on it and I like more than I thought I would.

Agreed...agreed....agreed....agreed....and agreed!!!

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: twitter anyone?

1979 - I hear you abou all the garbage on facebook. I recently got into facebook and love the opportunity to catch up w/ many former friends from different places that I have lived. It blows my mind all the games people seem to play or useless polls they take or any of the other garbage. I guess alot of people out there just don't have a life.

JOE SCHMOE...is tired today. Good God man, who the heck cares?!?!?

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: twitter anyone?

Zoo - I imagine you haven't been to facebook much? There is some crap to wade through (like the stupid tests, people telling you they just had lunch, people telling you what game they're playing, etc) but once you get a little comfortable w/ it it's real easy to navigate and you learn what interests you and what to look for.

NoVa - I am long winded so Twitter can be hard for me...but I like the shortness to it. I tend not to read loooong posts most of the time so Twitter is perfect....plus it helps me keep it simple.

[JimmyJack]

Re: twitter anyone?

Of course, Google was, to begin with, a better commercial product than Twitter. Lots of opportunities to make money off a search engine (although, I'm becoming less and less impressed with the quality of their search results).
OTOH, what I like about Twitter vs. Facebook is that Twitter just has little user-supplied tidbits on it. There's no clumsy collection of poorly managed add-ons, etc. I've been to the Janitor Bob Facebook page a few times to see if they recorded the concert at Borrowed Bucks, and it's just a mess---like every other Facebook & MySpace page I've ever been to.

Frankly, it'll be easier for me to just walk over to Michelle's and ask her than monkey around with Facebook, etc.

IMO, the next big thing will combine the simplicity of Twitter with the extended functionality/networking of Facebook.

250 million people disagree with you about Facebook.

[zooropa]

Re: twitter anyone?

250 million people disagree with you about Facebook.

What's that line about Jerry Lewis & the French? "fifty million Frenchmen can't be wrong?"