The Facebook Smothering Strategy on Twitter: Will it Work?
I am a big fan of movies or TV shows with arch rivals enemies as great villains make the hero look even better. And think about it: What would be Batman without the Joker? So I really appreciate the rivalry between Facebook and Twitter even if it appears more to be an obsession of Facebook for the micro blogging service. I use the word obsession as it seems that Facebook has implemented a whole strategy to put Twitter on its knees:
- They redesigned the homepage a couple of month ago which aim is to reproduce the Twitter experience.
- They launched the vanity URL for users and fan pages a couple of months ago as Twitter always had (By the way why did they ever give it the name of public profile as no one uses it?).
- They changed privacy setting so you can make your own profile (information, pictures and updates) accessible to the whole world (which means as public as Twitter).
- They bought out Friendfeed to compete in the real time search fight with Google… but above all Twitter.
- They launched a feature that enables Fan page admin to post updates from their mobile phone and to push the same updates to Twitter.
- They created a Facebook Lite that strangely reminds you of Twitter when you look at it.
- They released the tag option that is a reminder on how you address people on Twitter.
And things they are going to do:
- They plan to release new sharing options with one called “share with everyone”.
- 65 million people and counting of their users are using Facebook from their mobile phone, so expects a lot more innovation in the mobile field.
- The integration of FriendFeed will bring more real time capabilities in the service and in the search function.
However I have the feeling that whatever happens, Facebook will not be able to catch Twitter as Facebook is waging a traditional war whereas Twitter is organized like on a guerrilla model: a small flexible team with lots of sympathizers working for the cause, creating hundreds of third party tools and supported by high profile people. And this guerrilla is always catching the headlines, would it be for international news (Iran Protest) or showbiz gossips (@aplusk). Moreover there is an essential fact: the nature of the services is different: Facebook is a walled garden whereas Twitter is an open space. Believe it or not, but it seems that Facebook is waging a lost war.
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