Trend: Micro-blogging

Micro-blogging is a shorter and more direct way of blogging and socializing with friends online.

Trend Description:
The new micro-blogging services allow users to send short text-based updates via SMS, instant messaging or certain websites. The content is rather trivial, mostly stating the whereabouts of the writer or announcing what the author is doing at the moment. Nonetheless these new services have charm, the entries are short and witty and create a fun way to network, to socialize and to meet new people. There are even some celebrity Micro-bloggers out there already. Examples are Barack Obama and John Edwards. Both presidential candidates feature their daily schedule on a Twitter site.

Cases:

Twitter
Twitter was founded in October 2006, and is now one of the most well known micro-blogging site (2007 South by Southwest Web Award in the blog category). Each user has a profile page where he can instantly post about his daily whereabouts. His circle of friends – meaning other Twitter users who have signed up to receive his messages, get instantly updated via SMS, RSS or instant messaging. All posts have a maximum length of 140 characters and are supposed to answer one question: “What are you doing?” Who is interested to find out, can click on any picture on the Twitter website and can find out what this particular person was doing and is doing right now. While the Twitter service is free, the wireless carrier of Twitter users might charge extra for posting and receiving updates via SMS.

Dodgeball
Dodgeball is another social networking software provider for mobile devices. Despite the similarities to Twitter, Dodgeball has another goal. Users usually send their location to the service, which then notifies them of crushes, friends, friends’ friends and interesting venues nearby. According to Wikipedia „Dodgeball was acquired by Google in May 2005. In April 2007, the founders of Dodgeball quit Google to work on other projects“.

Jaiku
Jaiku.com is the Finnish counterpart to Twitter. It was founded in July 2006 and is compatible with Nokia S60 platform mobile devices. The Jaiku Mobile client software allows users to make posts through the software onto their Jaiku page. Jaiku also allows programmers to make their own third party software components.

Baluu
With Baluu Germany has it’s own micro-blogging site. It works like Twitter or Jaiku. Baluu also suggests some possible ways to use the network: “Tell your friends what is happening right now!”, “Plan a spontaneous party!”, “Make appointments!”, “Report from sports and music events!” or “Text an instant documentation about your vacation!”. Baluu is free, but users have to pay their wireless carrier.

Trend Impact:
Next to the presidential candidates who alert their friends and followers with updates, also big media companies such as the BBC, the New York Times and Al Jazeera are experimenting with twitter by sending headlines and links to stories. The number of Twitters and Micro-blogging sites is growing. While some people consider micro-blogging to be a great new way of communication some think of it as an annoying distraction and way to raise your phone bill. It definitely has potential, for social networking as well as for marketing. There is now quicker way to send alerts, find a friend or organize a surprise party.

Twitter

Dodgeball

Jaiku

Baluu

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