Blogging traffic here slows while the usage of Twitter and Plurk explodes
By Tan Weizhen 6 February 2009
BLOGGING is so last year.
Now, the latest rage among netizens is the Internet form of SMS, using tools such as Twitter or Plurk to give friends an instant update on their lives, on subjects ranging from good makan places to news events.
According to research firm Hitwise, blogging traffic slowed last year, while the usage of Twitter and Plurk has exploded.
The number of Singaporean users visiting and using Twitter’s site jumped 602 per cent between January last year and last month, said Hitwise, which does not reveal absolute figures.
Plurk - a newer platform than Twitter - was even more popular: It attracted 184 per cent more users than Twitter last month.
Checks done here show that netizens who used to blog incessantly are switching to the new platforms, known collectively as micro-blogs.
Undergraduate Jerrick Lim, 20, who used to update his blog a few times a week in the past, confesses that he now does so only twice a month.
Now, he says, he ‘twitters and plurks like a maniac’.
‘Blogging is getting to be a hassle. I think about and write a lengthy post, and then get only three comments,’ he said.
The main attraction of micro-blogging, say enthusiasts, is that they function as instant messaging as well as social networking tools.
Other advantages, they say, are that these ‘Internet SMSes’ can reach a worldwide audience, and generate responses almost instantaneously. Users can also send messages without being tethered to a computer, unlike blogging.
All you need to start a micro-blog is to create an account at the Twitter (twitter.com) or Plurk (plurk.com) website. You can then log in from your computer or mobile phone, or send an SMS, to file a post of not more than 140 characters in length.
Third-party sites like twitter.sg and widgeo.us provide a local number to send text messages to, so you pay local phone rates.
Just as with social networks, users can ‘invite’ friends, both here and overseas, to join their circles. Some micro-bloggers have thousands of people on their networks, and all can be reached in an instant.
Full-time national serviceman Brennan Neoh, 22, a Plurk user, said he can get 10 or more responses to a question just seconds after he posts it.
‘It’s addictive, fast and very useful. And it means my friends know about, and can respond to, what happens in my life immediately.’
He added that it is a great way to stay in touch with loved ones: His mother reads his Plurk updates while he is in camp. ‘We can’t bring in smart phones with cameras. The only way to update is through SMSes to Plurk or Twitter,’ he said.
The exploding popularity of ‘twittering’ or ‘plurking’, as they are known in Net parlance, in Singapore echoes a similar trend elsewhere.
In the United States, Twitter visits jumped 343 per cent between September 2007 and the same month last year, according to Nielsen Online.
Last December, Israel became the first government to hold a press conference via Twitter, taking questions from the public about the country’s war with Hamas.
Perhaps the most famous ‘twitterer’ is US President Barack Obama. As of yesterday, the ardent fan of micro-blogging has 231,646 ‘followers’ - users who have added him to their list of ‘friends’ to see his postings. Mr. Obama added another 234,840 as ‘friends’.
He used Twitter heavily during his successful election campaign last year.
Professor Zhang Wei Yu of the Communications and New Media programme at the National University of Singapore said micro-blogging is getting popular mostly because it is simple, highly interactive and can mass-communicate messages quickly.
For all the popularity of Twitter and such, many netizens say that blogging, though less popular now, still has a place.
They say blogs allow for deeper discussions on more serious issues, something that is impossible on Twitter and other similar sites.
Said Prof Zhang: ‘Blogs serve many more functions than keeping friends posted. Many bloggers post lengthy opinions...something they cannot do on Twitter.’
1 comment:
Blogging is so dated - now you twitter
Blogging traffic here slows while the usage of Twitter and Plurk explodes
By Tan Weizhen
6 February 2009
BLOGGING is so last year.
Now, the latest rage among netizens is the Internet form of SMS, using tools such as Twitter or Plurk to give friends an instant update on their lives, on subjects ranging from good makan places to news events.
According to research firm Hitwise, blogging traffic slowed last year, while the usage of Twitter and Plurk has exploded.
The number of Singaporean users visiting and using Twitter’s site jumped 602 per cent between January last year and last month, said Hitwise, which does not reveal absolute figures.
Plurk - a newer platform than Twitter - was even more popular: It attracted 184 per cent more users than Twitter last month.
Checks done here show that netizens who used to blog incessantly are switching to the new platforms, known collectively as micro-blogs.
Undergraduate Jerrick Lim, 20, who used to update his blog a few times a week in the past, confesses that he now does so only twice a month.
Now, he says, he ‘twitters and plurks like a maniac’.
‘Blogging is getting to be a hassle. I think about and write a lengthy post, and then get only three comments,’ he said.
The main attraction of micro-blogging, say enthusiasts, is that they function as instant messaging as well as social networking tools.
Other advantages, they say, are that these ‘Internet SMSes’ can reach a worldwide audience, and generate responses almost instantaneously. Users can also send messages without being tethered to a computer, unlike blogging.
All you need to start a micro-blog is to create an account at the Twitter (twitter.com) or Plurk (plurk.com) website. You can then log in from your computer or mobile phone, or send an SMS, to file a post of not more than 140 characters in length.
Third-party sites like twitter.sg and widgeo.us provide a local number to send text messages to, so you pay local phone rates.
Just as with social networks, users can ‘invite’ friends, both here and overseas, to join their circles. Some micro-bloggers have thousands of people on their networks, and all can be reached in an instant.
Full-time national serviceman Brennan Neoh, 22, a Plurk user, said he can get 10 or more responses to a question just seconds after he posts it.
‘It’s addictive, fast and very useful. And it means my friends know about, and can respond to, what happens in my life immediately.’
He added that it is a great way to stay in touch with loved ones: His mother reads his Plurk updates while he is in camp. ‘We can’t bring in smart phones with cameras. The only way to update is through SMSes to Plurk or Twitter,’ he said.
The exploding popularity of ‘twittering’ or ‘plurking’, as they are known in Net parlance, in Singapore echoes a similar trend elsewhere.
In the United States, Twitter visits jumped 343 per cent between September 2007 and the same month last year, according to Nielsen Online.
Last December, Israel became the first government to hold a press conference via Twitter, taking questions from the public about the country’s war with Hamas.
Perhaps the most famous ‘twitterer’ is US President Barack Obama. As of yesterday, the ardent fan of micro-blogging has 231,646 ‘followers’ - users who have added him to their list of ‘friends’ to see his postings. Mr. Obama added another 234,840 as ‘friends’.
He used Twitter heavily during his successful election campaign last year.
Professor Zhang Wei Yu of the Communications and New Media programme at the National University of Singapore said micro-blogging is getting popular mostly because it is simple, highly interactive and can mass-communicate messages quickly.
For all the popularity of Twitter and such, many netizens say that blogging, though less popular now, still has a place.
They say blogs allow for deeper discussions on more serious issues, something that is impossible on Twitter and other similar sites.
Said Prof Zhang: ‘Blogs serve many more functions than keeping friends posted. Many bloggers post lengthy opinions...something they cannot do on Twitter.’
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