The last few days have been a flurry of buzz around microblogging in general and twitter in particular (Note: I started jaiku before twitter but prefer the latter). First, Dominic Jones wrote a visceral article about the potential use for it to disperse investor info (this days after SUN Microsystems released their results online ). Dominic’s article led me to some others, notably: Get ready for the ‘Twitterization’ of mainstream media by David Berlind (ZDNET) and Five Quick Suggestions to Improve Twitter by Allen Stern.
my thoughts,
I see twitter as the bridge on these two continuum:
1. old media, website, blog, rss, twitter
2. letters, memos, email, IM, twitterI’d like to see Twitter have a better admin interface, and the opportunity to easily edit your posts (if you’re all nerves and thumbs, it could be disastrous)
and
I want to use a microblog in the enterprise (2.0) field. Currently none of them are there. Your suggestions are all valid, and one of these would do well todetach itself from the ubiquitous-use market and go for a solid business platform. I would pay good (or bad) money for a business twitter. However, I think you realise too that they are all within sight of the big cheese and would it make sense to settle for second best?
Also, many ridicule Twitter for the fact that one can record one’s most inane moments and send them on. There is a service and a sale around that, and like it or not, its brilliant. Didn’t we all love 24 hour reality TV a few years back? Will we be able to pry microblogging out of the hands of an “always-on” culture?
4 Comments until now
Saw your comment over at http://www.centernetworks.com/five-quick-suggestions-to-improve-twitter.
I’m also really interested in using Twitter/micro blogging in an enterprise environment.
I agree, it’s not quite there yet. At the moment our only option is to build own system within the walls but I really don’t want to go there.
I’ve got a few ideas on how it could be used. What are you thinking?
Elliot, take a look at Dominic’s article where enterprise needs real-time dissemination, that would be good. Also i have a bookmark about how successful IM is in companies, http://del.icio.us/derek.abdinor/enterprise2.0, should be able to extrapolate that to Twitter.
A friend is using Jaiku channels a lot, not really for business but more to create buzz around an event. I havent been able to pin him down for that so suggest you investigate.
I’m currently thinking that instead of building a “sms and email alerts” backend system, you just get clients/users to register to follow you at Twitter. Although with the last few big outages (Skype, technorati) you may have to have a back up plan.
I think Twitter will go exponential, and you’ll have IT admins being told to block it, a la FaceBook. Depends on if you internet or intranet, ATL or BTL. What’s your interest?
Derek,
I’m curious what features you feel would equip a microblog application for serious business use. I’m a bit of a coder, and I’m thinking of launching a “microblog for business” startup. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Joe
I think you have to decide if you want to make Business apps or Enterprise apps. I’ve confused myself as to which is which (?) but essentially are you looking to bolster productivity in the office and related networks, or create apps for the business to sell or that could be shipped as a product?
Web 2.0 stuff has good application to both internal and external, I can see some great internal uses for microblogging around a project/realtime info sharing. Tumblelog maybe aswell.
Serious business, look at what Dominic tapped into re: the traders.
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