Different
platforms, with different approaches, serving different needs… but
both are highly viral and are used for social networking. Facebook is
the most successful social networking website / platform and,
depending on the rankings, the 2nd – 5th most
visited website on the planet. Well down the traffic rankings list is
Twitter at somewhere around 200th on the list (see
Alexa.com for rankings).
However,
it incresingly clear that Twitter will one day soon overtake Facebook
as the social networking champion for a number of obvious reasons…
1-
Connections – Its much easier to add connections (followers) on
Twitter. With a click you can see 30 or more followers of any one
person and by reading a Tweet or two, determine whether you want to
follow them (and often, by custom, they will automatically follow
you… opening up exponential connecting opportunities amongst
respective followers). Additionally, Tweeps don't have to ask for
permission to follow someone, its automatic with no approval process.
Typically, Facebook friends know each other in real life… this is
not the case on Twitter.
2-
Security
Both have their respective strengths. I like (or maybe that should be “liked”) the privacy of Facebook that allows me to communicate and stay in touch with friends and family, and I like the relative anonymity and ease of use of Twitter. I wouldn't use Twitter for my more personal interactions – I use Twitter a little for this, and on a very casual level, but for the most part in a more detached way, spotting trends etc.
Having said that, I must say that FB's recent interface changes have made their home page vastly less useful to me (less privacy, less insight into friends' connections), and actually made me investigate Twitter in the first place. Now I hardly ever look at FB's home page anymore, and spend more time Twittering and getting on with my life. Heckuva job, Zuckerberg.
Thanks for the feedback.
I should qualify “overtake”: I mean use, not registered members. I believe Twitter will be more used than Facebook, but Facebook will have more registered users. In other words, Facebookers will remain more passive than Tweeps are exceedingly active, and increasingly Tweeting from mobile devices and associated applications like Tweetdeck that don't register page views and aren't counted in website traffic metrics (often or accurately).
BTW – I do think Zuckerberg and company have done a hell of a job — and that job will earn them billions. But they need some outside perspective and counsel on how to evolve from here.
-Toby
Neatly expressed, well done. I enjoy the immediacy of Twitter & the fact that you can quickly get an idea about people. I don't mind having contact with many people on Twitter – with Facebook, and other similar networking sites, if you're in contact with too many people it all becomes very cumbersome.
Not sure I agree with this. There are alot at least half of my friends that do not txt. Twitter seems to rely on txt msgs to communicate. I hate txting. You can't get away from it. FB you can walk away and not look at it till the next time you get on it. Txting is very obtrusive. I don't see it growing in the over 40 market as fast as FB is.
I must say I agree with you. Twitter seems to be useful for people who are on their cell phones all day doing noting but txting. Twitter is cute but not particularly useful. Facebook allows you to do so much more (And I'm not talking about the useless apps).
My twitter account is pretty much an rss feed for different organizations and news sources.
Twitter does not rely on texting, it is not even supported in many countries. Just switch telephone texting off if you don't like it.
1. The rise of FB has been impressive, but with very little real value. Everybody created an account but what do they do with it now ?
2. Twitter is not only about texting. You can easily share whatever you want to share – just send a link to a photo, video you just took with your mobile.
3. A new generation of high value real time data mining applications will emerge around twitter.
4. It is clear that Twitter will overtake FB. There are a lot of other social networks, and will be lots of them – in fact, every community will en building its own Facebook, so nobody will use FB anylonger. But Twitter has no rival, and its uses are limitless.
I must say I disagree with the notion that facebook has very little value. The guys who created it are now obviously have or are on their way to wealth, but personally, and I believe I speak for anybody who has given the application a fair chance, I have re-connected with dozens of people I should not have let slip into the ether. Now, I'm not saying I use facebook 24/7, but for that fact alone, facebook has 'value'.
i agree and dont agree at the same time. well wht i agree is that it wil overtake or compete soon. but wht i dont agre is that its totally messaging or minibloging sort of stuff. while facebook have alot. like groups, movies, audio advertisements applications etc.
welli dont agree actually because twitter is only messaging while facebook is the mother of all and have everything u could possibly think. yes the new design sucks but tis awesome.
Yes, you are right Keith – Facebook has delivered tremendous value. Massive, ground-shaking value, in fact. I'll also take issue with the previous post on that point too. However, Twitter will still be used more… 🙂
I agree with this so far, but to be honest is an apples to oranges comparison. I dont think 'micro-blogging' i.e. Twitter is a particularly good example of 'social' computing. Unless you go to a 'Tweet up' and actually meet people, and I doubt very much I will ever meet the majority of the hundreds of people I follow.
FB however is social in nature. You normally make connections, at least first, with people you really know. Its also a replacement for email messaging for some of may younger friends. Its also an 'application platform' – my wife uses it as much for playing games with her friends who live on the other side of the world as she does for 'talking' to them.
So yes, Twitter 'use' may overtake FB use, but so what ?
If I can connect with others by “following” them and they can “follow” me and at glance via a feed also see what I'm doing then it is social networking. I don't care what analyst labels it as a means of bragging about how smart they are, its social networking. It may also be social media, and micro-blogging, presence, miniblogging whatever… I really could care less about the label or 2.0 or 3.0… the point is people connect and use it to network, and its social by nature.
So what if Twitter 'use' overtakes 'FB'… I think i covered that in the article. So what if you read it?
By the way, feel free to debate me or disagree just don't do it anonymously (which is sometimes out of convenience I realized, but often out of cowardice).
Twitter helps me meet people, exchange ideas quickly, and learn about new trends.
Facebook helps me maintain and develop the relationships I make in person or on twitter.
They're much different tools, with very different strengths. For example, Facebook has built in event management and invitation tools, photo galleries, etc.
Will one overtake the other? I don't know. But I do find they complement each other.
I'm going to have to post anonymously out of convenience because I highly doubt you'd find anything to use against me on the internet anyways… Neither Twitter nor Facebook will push each other out of the market unless one of them changes their core dynamic. Wait.. FB already has. New FB's home page looks rather similar to an RSS feed, removing any personal attachment you once had in reading anybody's wall. Most applications don't even support multiplayer, so my friends become targets to increase app membership. So I could forsee FB tanking because it ignores its users. Twitter will probably never make that mistake seeing as how all of its users are active. See… Personally, I refuse to make a Twitter account until I embark on a project that people would be interested in seeing progress. For example, an party or world council, making a film or sweater, etc. The most active of the active Tweeps are those who describe the mundane in far more boring language than interesting things are. They Twitter their time away and don't do anything real, tangible. They just play the false god and squawk atop a self-erected pedestal. FB has moved its roots and will not last this way, and Twitter is just a glorified malfunctioning blogsite. Honestly, when was the last time the 140 character limit stopped somebody from making a tirade like this? Just let it roll out into 50 posts…
Less people know of this site than Twitter, so people care less about this post than if it was on Twitter. At the very least FB would force all my friends to get a notification. But nobody checks their notifications anymore. Just go to my inbox, apps, and check event status. Regular ol' grind.
Well put. FB though is lagging behind LinkedIn tough in viral and functional capacity. LinkedIn is a far superior platform, but it won't attract kids and family types, but its killing FB in the business market / knowledge worker community.