Top 5 Tips for creating a successful Microblogging service

The convention of microblogging has been around for a couple of years and so far has sustained through our cutthroat economy. At its inception, many long-form bloggers and geeks alike were skeptical of the new way of online expression;who would want to blurt out short thoughts on the internet?  It turns out millions of people worldwide were just waiting for the right opportunity.
Courtesy Geek and Poke dot com

With the recent fall of Pownce, it is interesting to note what makes a microblogging service sink or float. Twitter had its fair share of users, but that doesn’t mean that others will be deterred from making what may be the next big thing. For those developers wondering what a user wants and values in a microblogging platform, I have developed a short list of strategies that work with the general tech savvy consumer:

1. Avoid creating a caste system

I have never really understood why someone would want to pay to microblog, blog, social network, etc. The entire basis of the internet is being able to acquire resources for free–so why start charging? It also creates an apparent socioeconomic divide and a clique of people who have more access because they pay the arbitrary fee. It is understandable that developers want to profit off of their creation, but seek more creative avenues to do so.

2. Clean house

Microblogging services have become a huge target for marketers, spammers and the like. Protect your community by eradicating the abusers from the systems. Make your users watchdogs and enable them to play part in defending your microblogging society. Wikipedia has strictly stuck to this model and Twitter seems to have adopted similar protocol.

3. Be known in your community

If you have created this new pearl of social networking, make sure everyone knows it. It is important for users to have a go-to person if something isn’t working right or to send kudos. I like associating Pownce with Daniel or Leah, and Twitter with Biz. Since microblogging engages in a communal stream of consciousness, it is always good to know the people behind the product and who they are. It adds personality, credibility and also seems less Big-Brother-esque!

4. Allow customization

Everyone wants to be a “unique and delicate snowflake” when it comes to their space on the internet. Create tools that aid your users to make their microblogging site feel like home. Though a large percentage of people know their way around HTML, but make sure to create some templates for those that don’t.

5. Learn from history

All microblogging sites have dealt with downfalls of their service. Whether it was the Fail Whale, Admiral Ackbar, or some other cute mascot, things do tend to go technically wrong on a daily basis. Find out what frameworks your favorite sites are built upon and what styles you like and dislike. Before taking risks, read about what others have done and the their community response [i.e. Plurk and the horizontal timeline.] It may seem like common sense, but know what is already out there well and in depth.

The list could go on, but to me these five steps would be a good start for any fledgling microblogging site. 2008 has been a crazy year and I look forward to seeing what 2009 has in store for us nerds wanting to share our thoughts on the new presidency, the latest Star Trek movie, and good old-fashioned gossip.