"Twitter"ing away (part III)

Twitter has taken the lead from Digg in as far as micro-blogging and crowd sourced news and networking content is concerned. Interestingly, users of Digg and Twitter save the view that Twitter scores over Digg in terms of user control i.e the user controls his "following" list and is therefore able to screen the content in the way he likes. Thus the elements of social networking are more relevant in Twitter. Digg however is crowd sourcing to the core and is an open platform to voice views, opinions,suggestions etc. The user cannot regulate the flow of information and the source of the information. Thus Twitter is also relevant as apowerful relation marketing tool. (at the cost of loosing out on a pure crowd sourcing platform)

However the popularity of Twitter is based in a fact deeper than the celebrity usages and formidable following (of Techno Blogger, News and Broadcasting Corporations and Social networkers). As a social platform, Twitter is unique in terms of its API (application programming interface), which allows its access from variety of platforms. As stated earlier, Twitter is accessed from computers and the web only in 56% of the cases. Its API gives it the versatility to be accessed from IM platforms, Twhirl: its desktop client, TXT: the SMS based medium, Twitterific: its iPhone based interface and a whole host of other platforms.

Clever Read Write Web research estimates of the traffic source to twitter

Thus it is Twitter's applications from their API that is making them grow rapidly. This enhances the ability of the user to  "tweet" from anywhere by simply using the mobile phone as the medium. By using the power of mobile phones, Twitter is integrating the user who may not be instantly connected to the internet to connect to twitter. There lies Twitter's biggest strenght. Not that this strenght will not be replicable, but the first use of this medium has propelled Twitter to this position. Its user base has gone up by a multiple of 8 and is increase 60% MOM even as i write this blog.

Ironically however, the API which is so versatile in terms of access is and may not be the most stable for third party application hosting if it comes to monetizing the user base.There in,Twitter has a huge challenge of converting its API into a serious platform if it is to grow into a mainstream application.