Pownce trounces Twitter
I’ve been using Pownce for three weeks now, thankful that I finally received an invitation to create a profile and use the latest microblogging tool to hit the cool web (or web of the cool, awww!).
Everybody was talking about Twitter when it first came out due maybe to its novelty. It was formatted after SMS, and so posting entries was limited to up to 160 characters or so. But given the relatively expensive cost of getting online through mobile phone around these parts, using Twitter on the web was better…and faster.
Twitter incorporates social networking—clearly, if your site or app doesn’t have the FOAF thingy, then it belongs to pre-2001. Some users can “watch” your updates, thus creating a huge potential for being cyber-stalked.
When the hoopla around Twitter died down, Pownce hits the Web as the latest cool new thing. It works like Twitter, only with more cool features, like file and URL sharing. Because it is a Web 2.0 app, it has social networking, which is basically half of the reason for its being out there. You post a 160-something-character message, which can be read by certain users or group of users, by the world or just by yourself.
If the entry is meant to be seen by a certain group of people, then you can also set it to be replied to by that particular group. That reply can also be read by your friend’s networks. I think this is the best feature of Pownce. People can actually reply to posts and therefore users can start message threads, much like being in an online forum or a chatroom.
This is where Pownce trumps Twitter. While Twitter was the first to launch a microblogging platform, Pownce upped the ante with its reply capability.
I’m not sure how URLs posted on Pownce affects a Web page’s page ranking, but it’s a good alternative to invite people to visit your blog or Web page, or to just tell them about a cool new find on the web. If it doesn’t do anything significant to PR, then at the very least, it helps you to spam your network to visit your page…well, sort of. I wouldn’t recommend it, though.
Pownce users can also share files to their networks or the public, depending on their preference. Just be careful when you upload copyrighted materials and be sure to share files only to those that you can trust will not rat your out to RIAA. Any Terms of Use notice is good only in writing and provides minimum protection to the site against lawsuits. However, in the real world, people do share stuff that they would otherwise have to pay for.
This seemingly snobbish site is by-invitation only, so if you don’t know anyone who has an invite (who probably got their invites from some A- and B-listers), then you’re left begging around for one. I don’t know if Pownce was just being generous or if some genie granted my wish, but I finally got my invitation. And now, I have six invitations to give out to anybody who wants to try the site. Just holler your e-mail so I can send you one of those precious invitations.
As for Twitter, registration is free-for-all, so don’t fret if you get one of their “Twitter is resting” notices. Either they’ve reached their bandwidth’s limit or they’re tweaking the system a bit. It’s still fun, so just sign up.
Oh and one more thing, both Pownce and Twitter apps are available on Facebook. So unless you’re still stuck in Friendster or Multiply, give Twitter or Pownce a go on your Facebook and tell your friends about it.
