Micro Blogging Wars Part 1: Why Plurk could be Better than Twitter

Micro-blogging has proliferated on the Internet for the past few years, with the popularity of sites like Tumblr, Plurk, Twitter, and even Facebook with its status updates that function much like micro-blog entries. Today, we will compare a couple of the more popular micro-blogging sites or tools, namely Plurk and Twitter. They share practically the same concept, only implementing them in different ways. The two services are both text-centric, which is the basis for the comparison.

Instead of going with how one stacks up against the other, we will be bringing points about how one is better compared to the other based on a specific criteria or aspect of the service. For today’s business, let’s go with why Plurk is better than Twitter. We will discuss why Twitter is better than Plurk on the next entry.

Timeline Layout

While both Plurk and Twitter sort entries chronologically, the Plurk Timeline looks and feels superior to us. Why? Because it gives you an idea of the time your friends posted their entries. You’ll see some posts bunched up together, and you will know that at such times, a lot of your friends are online and active.

Of course, one could argue that the Timeline could easily become messy and that Twitter looks much simpler and cleaner (especially when we talk about browsing through mobile devices). Still, the Timeline layout has a lot going for it: accessibility, appeal, and an all-encompassing view of posts.

Replies are More Accessible and Direct

Since each post or message in Plurk is displayed within the Timeline, you also see any and every reply made to those posts just by clicking on them. It is also easier to track new replies to your posts or replies to posts that you replied to, thanks to a notifier right in the lower right corner of the timeline. You can also see private posts that you can view.

There are also less celebrities to follow on Plurk. In that way, it becomes more personal because you most likely are reading posts of people you actually know. There would be no need for third-party applications just to keep the clutter organized.

Achievements and Unlockable Content

You can unlock some achievements that will be visible on your profile page. These achievements include stuff like having invited a certain number of friends, reaching a certain number of “fans”—people who add you to follow your posts—and reaching 100 karma.

Karma is a measure of your activity in Plurk. It increases with posts and the replies you make and receive. When you reach a certain level of karma, you will gain access to more smileys and emoticons that you can use for posting. Being able to change your screen name also depends on the amount of karma you have.

Plurk is lagging by quite a bit compared to Twitter in terms of popularity. Nevertheless, there is a reason many people still stay on this particular microblogging slash social networking site. Plurk has its own strengths to counteract its perceived weaknesses. Even with the continued rise of Twitter as the microblog of choice, Plurk retains its standing as a worthy competitor. Next, we will be discussing the advantages of using Twitter. Stay tuned!