Pownce Challenges the King of Micro-blogging
As some of you are aware, I have profiles on Twitter and Pownce. Both services allow you to update your friends/the public on what you’re doing throughout the day. Both services have very visible techies at the helm: Evan Williams (founder of Blogger and Odeo) of Twitter and Kevin Rose (founder of Digg and Revision3) of Pownce. However, that is where the similarities end between Twitter and Pownce.
Twitter is a very addictive free service that allows you to send updates via SMS, web browser, IM, and other add-ons made by third-party developers. Currently, you can only send text updates in a micro-blogging format of 140 characters or less through Twitter. Pownce allows you to send text updates via two formats: web browser and a downloadable application developed by co-founder Leah Culver. In addition to micro-blogging, Pownce allows you to send files to other Pownce users (limited to up to 10 MB file size for the free service and up to 100 MB for paid users), share links, and alert friends/the public about events.
While I have been using Twitter a lot longer, I have been comparing the similarities and differences between the two services. I have noticed that I am more likely to share my updates on Twitter than Pownce right now. This is primarily because I’m not locked to my PC with Twitter because I can send SMS updates. For me, SMS is my preferred and primary method for sending updates to Twitter. With Pownce, I have to be at a PC to use the service through the web browser interface or the desktop app. If Pownce wants to pounce on Twitter’s user base, then they will have to implement the ability to send updates via SMS; I’m sure this feature is around the corner.
In terms of look and feel, Pownce is definitely a lot nicer looking than Twitter. Twitter has a Miami Vice-like color scheme with the blue clouds and a neon green for the home page and some user profile pages; it does allow users to change their background graphic and customize their profile box colors. Twitter’s site colors are a noisy and harsh on the eyes, and I have always been puzzled why the designers chose that particular color scheme for the look and feel of the site. In a nutshell, I feel like I’m visiting a tween site whenever I go to the Twitter home page. Pownce is a different story. The site and desktop app are beautifully designed with pleasing colors that balance well with each other thanks to Daniel Burka’s handy work. Users have the ability to choose between four graphical layouts that offer a clean look to profile pages. The downside is that Pownce users are limited to only four color schemes, and users can’t customize page layouts with HTML, CSS, or personal graphics. In terms of look and feel, Twitter is more MySpace-like and Pownce is more Facebook-like.
One of my biggest complaints about Twitter was the site’s performance in terms of speed and accessibility. There were many times when Twitter was unavailable or going through one of its many rounds of maintenance to resolve scalability issues. Anyone familiar with the cat with a screwdriver graphic knows what I’m talking about. Recently, these problems have been resolved with much needed behind the scenes tweaks, but I do still experience login errors from time to time whenever I have to go to my profile page. There are many times when I have to retype my user name and password, even though I typed it correctly the first one, two, or three times. Like Twitter, Pownce is having issues, which are expected since it’s currently in a private alpha stage. My main issues are with logging into the Pownce site and the desktop app. At one point, my login issues were so severe with Pownce that I had to reset my password, which oddly enough resolved my issue. And before you ask, it wasn’t because I was typing in the wrong user name/password combination; I can’t mess that up over 10 times. Since then, my login problems are not as frequent, but as with Twitter, they do still occur.
As I mentioned earlier, Twitter is a text-based, micro-blogging utility. Pownce is a combination of Twitter, eInvite, email, and FTP. This is where Pownce has an edge, especially for non-technical users. While many of us robust technophiles know how to use other tools to send large files (video or MP3s) to others through email, FTP, or instant messenger, there are some people who aren’t as technically inclined. This is where I can see Pownce’s other features benefiting a generation of Internet users who do not know how to use the previously mentioned tools to send large files to friends and family. Right now, I don’t see myself using Pownce to send MP3s or video files to my friends and family because I use one of the previously mentioned methods to accomplish that task. Also, any recipients would have to sign up for a Pownce account in order to receive the files or invites for an event I’m having. Because it is a closed system, I don’t see the benefit for those other features unless all of your friends and/or associates are on Pownce and actively use the service.
Twitter is experiencing a phenomenal growth period, recently took some VC funding, and continues to generate a lot of mainstream press as a result of its inclusion at the South by Southwest conference. The site is scaling better to handle its user growth, and it also finally made the concept of friend vs. follower a whole lot easier. Pownce has a huge amount of buzz surrounding it, mainly because it has Kevin Rose’s name attached to the service. Having a Web 2.0 poster boy as a co-founder has lent Pownce instant credibility. The site has taken the Twitter concept to a new level by adopting other mediums into its architecture. It’s too early to tell who will win the battle, but if Pownce adds the SMS feature and finally surfaces out of private alpha, it can be a true contender for Twitter, who is currently sitting at the throne.