Twitter versus Instant Messaging – A Quick Update
I've been trying to use Twitter (via Twitterrific) for the last week or so, and I have to say that I agree with the majority of the comments that I've read about Twitter: it's a nice idea, but the reliability is just so bad it's almost not something you can really depend on. The nicest thing about Twitter is that it's less real-time than IM, which is a downside if you try and use it as a replacement for IM, but it's a good thing if you try to use it for a different kind of communication.
For example, if I'm trying to communicate with a friend about a coding project, then IM is going to be as close to ideal as possible. It's like a phone call, but you can cut-n-paste code clips to one another and it gets the job done very nicely. But if the conversation is about scheduling something like a dinner or a movie, if the person isn't online at that instant, IM is no use. There's no really good delayed message system for IM. But that's what Twitter really is good about.
Then there's the 'broadcast' versus 'point-to-point' difference in the two. If you're in IM you have the ability to chat one-on-one to someone. Sure, you can fire up a chat client and go to some place and get a message room, etc. But that's not the same thing as using the IM client. It's intended for one-to-one messaging. Twitter is based on the broadcast idea, and in that, there are times when it is significantly better than the point-to-point of IM. Think about a group of friends. If one is going to a coffee shop, he can tweet that he'll be there in 10 mins, and if others want to join in, that's great. It's less formal because there's no guarantee that anyone will be listening at the time, but if they are, it's possible that many people might be listening.
It's clever and unique. I like the idea. I just wish they could keep it working more. I know it's not going to be supported by the likes of me - using Twitterrific, it's got to be ad-based and then maybe selling the tweets or the contact information about me to others. I don't mind... if I tweet it, it's in the public domain - you have to realize anyone could be listening. I just wish they'd do something to make it more reliable. Even if it meant subscriptions.