Twitter vs. Plurk: What the tweeps are saying!
Posted by JasonIn the past couple of weeks I have received about a dozen invites to join Plurk. I haven’t joined yet, not because I don’t want to be an “early adopter”, but more so as a result in how much time in the day there is to blog, network, and connect with others. Sure, there are tools to integrate updates, but to actually engage on all of the platforms takes time.
If I had to pick the top 3 tools to connect with others up until this point, I have invested a majority of the effort into Facebook, Twitter @jjbuss, and LinkedIn (both my network and my recruiting blog group). Sure, I have profiles on Plaxo, MySpace, and others too, but rarely visit them.
I wanted to quickly categorize what others are saying about Plurk and Twitter since it has dominated the 140 character updates the past few weeks, besides the obvious Obama and Clinton tweets.
I used summize, and while this is not scientific, I went back the past 5 hours and broke the comments into 2 categories. Here’s a snapshot of loyal to both Twitter, and Plurk:
Twitter:
- @mrwizard14 - Checking out Plurk, but twitter still rocks because of the API and desktop clients.
- @CoachDeb - twitter trumps Plurk any day - even on its’ sickly days (i actually hate tweeting about Plurk)
- @pwbau - re: your plurk about plurking vs. twitter, i have to agree with you Plurk is nice but twitter is better
- @yashoo - really starting to like the feel of Plurk… But twitter is the king when it comes to simplicity and API support
- @matthelm - eh… Plurk sucks. Twitter is better.
- @onlineteacher - Plurk = No Way. Twitter = Way. IMHO. I will be staying here and not migrating.
- @modernevil - Plurk seems to take up a lot of my time, lately. Unlike Twitter, it compels me to read everything everyone posts. That won’t last long.
- @wonderwebby - don’t think I will go back into Plurk unless Twitter dies completely.
- @ColonelMolerat - Trying to persuade Claire to sign up to Twitter. But not Plurk. Because Plurk’s shit.
Plurk:
- @Beonarri - I’ve been using both Twitter and Plurk and I have to say I like Plurk more.
- @sentienlee - It’s official, I’m over Twitter. I will be using Plurk full time.
- @gutterkitty - Enjoying Plurk more than Twitter.
- @reidmix - been trying out pllurk with good results. twitter just isn’t cutting it
- @theSummerDiva - It’s so funny.. Plurk is just hopping…and Twitter… is so quiet.
- @richardlord - Only found one of you on Plurk.. Get Plurking people.. It’s like Twitter.. ‘cept it works.
And… The most best tweet goes to @libmil: I think Twitter & Plurk are the same people, in the same office, having a bet as to whose site gets the most people.
Both have their technical issues. I have gone to Plurk to check it out twice in the past 2 days and the site has been down. We all know Twitter has had some issues too. I will likely give Plurk a try, but in the end for me it is more about engaging with your network vs. a one-way update, and finding a balance.
Other great posts on Plurk vs. Twitter:
- Plurk & Twitter: 2 Very Different Communities
- Twitter vs. Plurk: Who Wins?
- I Like Plurk Better Than Twitter, But Should I Even Bother?
Which do you prefer?
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June 9th, 2008 at 3:08 am
It’s hard to compare Twitter and Plurk as Plurk is new and Twitter has been around for quite a while. All in all, Plurk is more engaging and it’s easier to follow conversations. Plus it already has groups and just think of all the cool features it could have 6 months from now. Twitter is nice, but they’ve got to improve the service and innovate to keep up.
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June 9th, 2008 at 3:14 am
The whole Plurk vs. Twitter debate is very interesting as I am not sure that it is necessary to make this a contest of one versus the other. While they are both microblogging tools, they are quite different in topics, style, and function. Plurk combines a socnet with IM-like functionality all on a blogging platform.
Most people that drop into Plurk post a couple of times and then leave - using twitter as their single point of comparison. Those that stick around long enough to expereince an actual Plurk conversation exchange tend to be hooked from then on. After a week of actively using Plurk, I really value the way that it contains conversations in a single thread. It is not uncommon to see a single plurk on a topic have 40-50 comments on it. The result is a much more instant, active, and organized conversation on a certain topic. If you think about the value of that for trying to build a condidate community and the ability to have conversations organized, entire threads on certain topics that have their own URL (called a Plurk page) that you can reference back to — I think that Plurk has a HUGE amount of potential.
Here is an example of a plurk page - http://www.plurk.com/p/501g (note the interface within plurk does not look this way, this is sort of the “under the hood” view - within plurk, the threads have a very “IM” type of interface):
Will I stop using Twitter because I like what Plurk is bringing to the table? The simple answer is of course not. The tools are useless without the community. As long as there are tweeps that I want to connect with and learn from on Twitter, I will be there. — now I just get to add “Pleeps” into my process as well. Just my 2 cents
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June 9th, 2008 at 3:28 am
Jason - In watching the Twitter - Plurk discussion evolve I can’t help but think how much of this lies in defining community. Sure, Twitter does have first to market advantage but there’s more. The number of Twitter tools is also a factor. And, yes, personal time is a factor, but there’s still more.
The difference really comes down to the value of a community - and isn’t that the purpose of social networking? From a personal perspective, I feel very committed to my Twitter community. I try and contribute as much as possible and I get value from my community. Of course, the community is also dynamic and evolving constantly. Every day I “step into” my Twitter community I learn something. My network crosses over recruitment, business, technology, media and politics. I’ve built new friendship - like you - and find I get to know people more holistically because of what/how they share things about themselves.
I’ve tried Plurk - set up the profile and invited a few people and also received invites from others. But, in addition to the time element you mention - which is big - the absence of a third party app like Twhirl, at least I didn’t find one, I wondered why? Perhaps if it was a niche site and offered me something different - a really good reason to move, or offered significantly different features I would feel differently.
Twitter is like the global front porch - people use to hang out on their front porch and catch up with their neighbors. But, as the front porch began to disappear and communities were/areredefined on a global scale Twitter, and other SNS, are now the venue. Moving from Twitter feels like picking up and going to a brand new, strange neighborhood just as I was beginning to settle in and find the good coffee shops, restaurants and yoga studios.
So, I’ll keep en eye on Plurk - because I’m curious but am cheering for Twitter and believe they will figure it out.
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June 9th, 2008 at 3:31 am
TwisterMC and Shannon, thanks for the comments. Several of the posts I read on summize were right in line with your thoughts. I will send you both an invite as soon as I’m on Plurk
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June 9th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Shannon’s father in law in Australia, here . I live in Perth - exactly 12 hours ahead right now so the TIME dimension in Plurk looks promising. I’ve used used Twitter to keep in touch with what my family is doing day to day and have been making an effort to Tweet more since I recently returned from the US. Now we have Plurk. I like the ability to go back and respond to what someone said early in their day and put the response with the original item. There is some overlap in in the times when we are awake so we can tweet or plurk in real time, but that is the exception for me. SO far it seems to be taking more time to keep up, but feels more coherent.
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June 9th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
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