As of the time of writing, I'm the top 23rd Plurker in London. But what, I hear you ask, is Plurk? Well, it's an interesting cross between Twitter and a forum. It has the same philosophy of short posts, but instead of a rolling stream of updates, Plurks from my friends are presented in a timeline:
(click for larger version)
This way of accessing Plurk makes it a different experience for me than Twitter. I have Twitter running all the time, getting updates either through software on my computer, or my mobile phone. It's firmly in the arena of ambient awareness. Plurk, on the other hand, is somewhere I visit, more akin to a forum, but with a very low time commitment. And you have the ability to have little conversation thread below each plurk, as well as sharing videos and photos. As a result, it has a real sense of fun that I don't get from Twitter. And maybe that's why I use it so much.
Well, that and the quest to boost your Plurk karma (which gets you more options in the service) is pretty addictive...
Well, that and the quest to boost your Plurk karma (which gets you more options in the service) is pretty addictive...
Nath THINKS that putting
"...but with a very low time commitment..."
next to
"...I've been absolutely thrashed in the poularity stakes by two of my colleagues, Nathan and Nicki..."
exposes the hideous truth of plurk.
Agree with you on plurk v twitter though :)
You're right. I just can't pass through the Plurk pain barrier and live my life there. I need to face the facts, I'll never be the Scoble of Plurk...
Maybe Plurk is just for those Twitter hangers-on that weren't totally addicted to Twitter. I can't stop using Plurk and I've met more people on it I keep in touch with since the early days of IM.
Yeah, it certainly has an intensity - and perhaps an intimacy - that Twitter lacks.