The differences between Twitter and IM

What are the main differences between Twitter and IM? Blogging and Tweeting? This is the deep question (seriously – this is important) being bantered on Twitter this morning. Is it really different than the other tools we have at our disposal or does it really create a defining difference? My hypothesis is that unlike the other tools, with Twitter the medium is not the message. People use Twitter for many different uses and applications – personal, professional, marketing, research, gossip and just plain feeling connected as the virtual employee trend grows worldwide. Here are some of the discussions that are going on between some industry experts.. Please add to the debate!

Gartenberg @vdimauro are they different or is Twitter just used as IM by some? Chat room by others?

GuyHagen @vdimauro just discussing IM / Twitter differences this morning…

atomac @vdimauro Twitter is less demanding, yet more focused. Nobody can check your Twitter status. Twitter is like chatting with many people.

carterfsmith @vdimauro – IM is talking on an elevator. Twitter is talking between rooftops.

GuyHagen @vdimauro thus more freq responses. Social=popularity attracts popularity. Infrastrux=IM supported by AOL, MSN, Google

GuyHagen @vdimauro differences: primarily lifestyle, social, and infrastructure. lifestyle=twitter has better mobility, ubiquity support, forces …

Gartenberg there still has to be a better way to properly integrate and cross pollinate across the social online areas that important to meThank you for reading Building Online Communities for Business by Leader Networks. We are a research and strategy consulting company that helps organizations succeed in social business and B2B online community building.

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