Microblogging sites make content more relevant

Posted on 22. Feb, 2008 by Dean Whitney in Uncategorized   and has   0 Comments

Since the popularity of Twitter microblogging sites have been taking off. New sites like Pownce and Tumblr have added functionality so that users can post not only about what they are doing right now but also post video, audio, events and other more structured content. So why are these sites so becoming so popular even addictive for some of us?

One reason is that they help us experience more relevant content on the web. The major aggregators of content typically have so much content that its difficult to effectively identify what content you want to see. The recent comScore study suggests “heavy clickers” distort reality of display advertising. In the same way it distorts what is presented as “most popular” on sites like YouTube. The ”heavy clickers” most likely aren’t people that are ‘like’ you.

You follow and connect with people on these sites that you have something in common with. The more people you ‘follow’ and that ‘follow you’ the more chance you will serendipitously find links and ideas that are meaningful. In contrast to the Twitter public timeline. I quickly noticed on Tumblr, where friends are posting video, that almost every video I saw I liked; compared to the 1 out of 20 videos I would find interesting on YouTube.

Site/Service SMS Full API Simple UI Custom Profile Recipient Options Advanced Features
Pownce
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Twitter
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Jaiku
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
PlayTalk
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Blabto
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Tumbr
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Meemi
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes

 

What’s next? I hope too see more intelligence around connecting member to ‘like’ people. Social recommendation site Zync uses intelligence to deliver social recommendations with other members that share common profile selections. This may not be as spot on as your direct network but it can better connect you with more members and content you’d otherwise not have easy access to.