I’m messing around with Pownce, a Twitter contender run by Leah Culver, Kevin Rose (of Digg), Daniel Burka, and Shawn Allen ( more about the company). It does a few things differently, including having “replies,” sending files, handling links better, etc. It doesn’t have a search tool (like David Troy’s Twittersearch), or an @ replies feature (for those of you not on Twitter, this sounds like gibberish, I know). But otherwise, it’s fairly solid, has a few neat things about it, and is another “add friends” fest waiting to happen.
But Do You Need It?
Twitter and Pounce and Jaiku are conversations. So is Facebook. Myspace not so much, but someone more passionate about the app could say that. LinkedIN isn’t a conversation. It’s a fat address book.
So do you join all the conversations? I’ve resisted Jaiku. I just didn’t want to contend with two Twitters in my life. I admit that I joined Pownce because it seemed cool, likely was going to be all the conversation for the next several weeks, and because it was a bit of a trick getting in (which suckers me every time).
But do you need it?
No. Flatly, no. You don’t need to be in on every conversation. You don’t have to go everywhere. As king creator Eric Rice is often pointing out, all his friends are surfing across the social networks, staying for a while, moving on, leaving their digital squatter camps all over the net. People like me are trying out all the conversations, wiring up the social networks, getting the systems in place IN CASE I need them, or IN CASE I want to have a conversation, or in case Twitter falls into the ocean.
What If We’re Diluting Our Streams?
Rosa Say, a great and wise author and leader from Say Leadership Coaching, very politely turned down my friend request on Facebook. In her case, she said she was cutting out the digital clutter, and was also deciding to keep a slim profile via Google. Her thought was that Google is going to pick up on her at Facebook, and see her on Twitter, and throw all kinds of other pointers into people’s searches that won’t bring them back to where SHE wants her conversation: on her site.
It’s not wrong. I thought about it. She’s got a great point. What if you want all roads to lead back to your site? It might not be a great strategy to get out there in every social network and establish a presence and a page.
The Rocketboom Method
Or you could take the advice of the most distributed Internet TV show out there: Rocketboom. Andrew Baron and team have worked from the start at putting Rocketboom onto as many platforms and in as many formats as possible. Sure, in the case of distributing media this becomes tricky (aggregating downloads/plays across multiple distribution threads), but it ensures that people can find the product where they want it, not just at one location. This makes for a great way to get your stuff seen and noticed.
Should you distribute your identity this way as well? So far, I’ve been taking this tack. I don’t have much in the way of hooks at all these various sites, though I always provide a link back to [chrisbrogan.com]. Maybe this is a way to get more audience for my site, and more voices for the conversation. That’s what I’m counting on.
In my case, I treat all these social networks like phonebooks or directories. I want a listing in these directories, or a number in these books, as a way to make sure I have a place at the conversation’s table.
Should YOU Join All These Networks?
If you’re a marketer, maybe. If you’re a marketer whose target market is also heavily online, maybe even more yes. If you’re someone who has few geographical outlets of like-minded-ness and you’re seeking friends who share your thoughts and opinions, you might consider it.
But why are you using these social networking tools? How much of it is just plain chat? How much of it is relationship building? I’d recommend that you consider what these tools do in a day for you. Are you using them to reach out and strengthen friendships? Are you using them to direct people’s attention to interesting things? Swell.
Are you using them to fill empty time? That’s the problem, isn’t it? Are you on the next network just because your friends are? Reconsider. Ask yourself if you need to be there. Even if you wait a few months.
Your Take
What do you think? What are you using your various social networks for? Do they bring you value? How much of your time is getting consumed by the Twitter / Jaiku / Pownce / Facebook / MySpace / Blogging / Podcasting / BlogTV / uStream / Skype / AIM / Yahoo! / MSN / social network dance?
