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Google sounds surprisingly out of touch in an attack on Twitter
Last week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt commented on everything from the economy (which he called "pretty dire") to Android's jump from phones to other devices. In other words, stuff you'd probably expect. What came as a surprise was the curveball he threw at everyone's favorite micro-blogging website, Twitter.
"Speaking as a computer scientist, I view all of these as sort of poor man's email systems," Schmidt said. "In other words, they have aspects of an email system, but they don't have a full offering. To me, the question about companies like Twitter is: Do they fundamentally evolve as sort of a note phenomenon, or do they fundamentally evolve to have storage, revocation, identity, and all the other aspects that traditional email systems have? Or do email systems themselves broaden what they do to take on some of that characteristic?" He then went on to call Twitter's success "wonderful," but it all sounded a little backhanded.
In the end it seems as if he's asking if Twitter takes a step back to be more like Gmail, or if Gmail takes a step forward to include features that resemble micro-blogging. His point is further undermined by suggesting that Twitter and email occupy the same space.
After all, you can stalk your favorite video game journalist or basketball superstar on Twitter — hell, even DVICE — without being creepy.
Via Business Insider
By TheTinkerer at 5:58 PM ON 03/09/09
What is so special about Twitter anyway?
A waste of time in my book... Instead of "stalking" you favorite [insert classification here], why not go and honor your skill to become more like your idol? Or go outside and get some fresh air... Or read a book, for crying out loud!
By THETINKERER_DUMB at 6:07 PM ON 03/09/09
go outside, get fresh air, wow that is so original! I like how you post that on a tech obsession website lol
Twitter is not about celebrities and stalking, or status updates. It's about connectivity and trends. Your response is very fitting to the title of the article though, so thank you. Enjoy the fresh air!
By mulad at 7:05 PM ON 03/09/09
Meh.
Get back to me once Twitter has actually figured out a business plan. Certainly, few people ever expected Google to make money, and they did, but I have doubts that Twitter can also pull that off.
My life is too interrupt-driven as it is -- I appreciate what text messages can offer, but I'd rather only have my phone start buzzing because of something important, rather than you telling everyone you're going to sleep at 11 pm (shock!).
Certainly Twitter has its role in letting friends stay connected, but I don't think it could succeed on its own without all the other technologies we use to communicate -- how many Twitter messages contain a tinyurl/etc. link?
...And the whole idea of a blog via Twitter is a little strange since it's really a poor-man's RSS feed most of the time.
By jenandtommy at 8:48 PM ON 03/09/09
Funny, they said the same thing when "radio" and "TV" began to get popular: "Go out and get some fresh air!", etc. etc... I don't think Twitter is preventing anyone from going outside, if they want to, and those people who prefer the indoors now have a fresh, fun, new way to communicate with others. We love it for the ability it gives us to stay in touch with friends and relatives in other states and cities. The advantage it has over email is that you can instantly start a convo w/ someone in another country or city to help broaden your world view. With email, you kind of have to "know" that person already to just start a conversation. In closing: Twitter will evolve, in some way, but believe me when I say it's here to stay. ;)
By ZuDfunck at 8:52 PM ON 03/09/09
What do you expect him to say
No matter what he said he was going to be criticized
Too much is put on these jokers
Chalk up one for twitter
Lost count on how many Google has
ZuD
By entregreeneur at 8:56 PM ON 03/09/09
Google's CEO has either totally missed the point of twitter or he gets it, sees what it could become and he's attacking it for strategic reasons.
Twitter is what you make it. I dip in and out of the stream when time and attention permits. I practically always connect with someone and discover something of value.
If someone has trouble with undesirable interruptions when using twitter, I suggest that's due to their usage behavior and user settings configuration.
If interruptions are a problem, do not get @ replies sent to your mobile device. DMs only.
If you get a DM from someone saying they're going to sleep, they're either someone very close to you or someone you probably want to block.
I'm @entregreeneur on twitter and gmail. Say hi sometime.
Bradley
By FishersJos at 8:59 PM ON 03/09/09
"And the whole idea of a blog via Twitter is a little strange since it's really a poor-man's RSS feed most of the time."
I actually view it the other way around... with RSS being the poor man's Twitter...
By Star "Local SEO" Riley at 9:07 PM ON 03/09/09
Look the future is written in the seconds of time as smart as we pretend to be who amongst us can see even one second into the future. The fact is we never saw Google coming it is the Skynet of our world akin to a demi-god.
Fact: people are using Twitter and more each day why?
False: Twitter has no value to the people who use it.
@starriley
to each his own!
By Nick Taylor at 9:26 PM ON 03/09/09
Twitter is a really low-maintenance/low-hump way of keeping in every-day touch with a fairly large number of people.
Like a lot of other social apps, when the mass of people using it gets to be big enough, it also turns into a pretty good search engine for the thing that it's focussing on... in this case "what people are twittering about right now".
Conflating it with email is kindof missing the point.
By Traveler at 12:24 PM ON 03/10/09
Twitter is for twits.
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
Traveler:
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