I am super late to the microblogging scene, even though it’s a form of expression that I totally love. Unlike most Twitterers out there, my microblogging experience really began with Facebook status updates. But I didn’t really get into it until I received an invite to Brightkite’s beta, and now I’m completely hooked. Although it’s got it’s fair share of problems to work through, I think Brightkite is simply marvelous (and it looks like the industry agrees). It is probably the most beautifully designed application I’ve used in a long time (and their iPhone version is no exception). They also keep adding a lot of really cool functionality, like the ability easily map your posts with Google:
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All that’s missing is a little timeline that lets you scroll back and forth and see my posts pop up over time. I’m undoubtedly headed to court to file an injunction against a stalker or two because of all this functionality, but I love it anyway.
But at the moment, Brightkite is just a piece of the puzzle.
My current system is such that I first update Brightkite, which then updates Twitter, which then updates my Facebook status. But this system is ridiculously flawed. First, Brightkite tells you that you have 140 characters, but because they insist on putting a link to Brightkite at the end of your post, you really only have 111 characters, before your post gets cut off by Twitter and the wit of your complete thought is killed by an ellipses. Then, removing a post is a pain. If I post something to Brightkite that I then want to take back, I have to delete it in Brightkite, then delete it in Twitter, then delete it in Facebook (even though we know it doesn’t actually get deleted in Facebook and all my friends still see it anyway). Next, we have the sharing problem. I have a tiny set of friends on Brightkite, a slightly larger set on Twitter, and a much better, more representative set on Facebook. Most of these people overlap, so we all get to see the same post three times, in the three different environments. Finally, there’s the Friendfeed problem. Because I had the Friendfeed Facebook application installed, my Brightkite was going to Twitter, which was going to both Facebook and Friendfeed and double posting everything. How annoying. So I had to disable Twitter updates in Friendfeed, even though I really would like access to their commenting functionality. It kills me when people respond to Facebook status messages by posting something to the wall. The wall post is completely unconnected to the status, and, because the status changes, the comment quickly becomes irrelevant.
So yes, this is a complete nightmare. What I need is something that puts together the best of each of these services:
Brightkite - Mapping my post to a location
Twitter - Not sure?
Facebook - Access to my real friends
Friendfeed - Conversations around posts
Hm…maybe all that’s needed is a Facebook application for Brightkite that will also update my Facebook status. And then it’s goodbye Twitter. Which, considering Twitter’s recent problems, I guess that wouldn’t be so bad. Add the Friendfeed conversations in there somehow without double-posting, and we *might* have some sort of microblogging solution. Maybe. Sort of.
I have 5 Brightkite invites if anyone’s interested…
May 28th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I don’t get why britekite is so great. Just ’cause it maps your location? I actually find that I could care less about most of the updates from britekite vs. twitter or facebook.
That said, I think I should check britekite out for myself. Can I have an invite? :P
May 28th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I concur. Brightkite is wonderful. But then I should think so, I invented it last year >:-P I called it Slu.gr (don’t know if the work I did is still live, I don’t like to look back) but the concept was remarkably similar; post a short message ala Twitter, and specify a location as well and the message was geolocated and plotted on a map. I had it working, complete with email posts from the iPhone. I totally suck at follow through though, and the whole thing went down the pooper as alternatives like Tumblr, and Plazes started doing it better than I was.
That said, Brightkite is a slick app. I too have it updating my Twitter when I post, but because BK makes you “checkin” and “post” separately, I worry that my Twitter followers will become annoyed with my frequent checkins, and subsequent posts; “jesse: checked in at Apollo cafe”… “jesse: having a cup of coffee at Apollo cafe”.
@beth location data is important because when I “check in” on Brightkite, it can send me content posted by users who are checked-in nearby whether or not I’m “following” them. What this means is that we can find people who like to hang out in the same parks and cafes that we do (That’s how I found Sarah, you may being restraining order proceeding now ;-)
For an example of how this could be useful, imagine if BrightKite were being used as heavily as Twitter. Now imagine that you were at an event with a lot of people like say the Olympic torch protests that happened a month or two back. With twitter, I can track the word “torch” and that delivered many hundreds of texts to my phone. With BrightKite however I could have simply checked-in at Justin Herman Plaza, and then clicked “What’s Happening” and seen photos and posts that were occuring all around me.
*sigh* that’s how I envisioned Slu.gr working… I’m such a lazy bum
May 28th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
So I’ve been stalking you on Brightkite (hey, you’re publishing to FriendFeed).
What’s missing with me with microblogging, is context. I think Brightkite adds a really cool aspect to messages, but I think a lot of other contexts could be associated with messages too. It would be nice if microblogging could elevate itself to conversations rather than just being a mirror of an individual. (Or perhaps that’s the point and I’m just being dense.) Location is an aspect that could lead to real connections and engagement with other people. What else?
May 28th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Jesse - That’s too bad you invented it but got no credit! I totally agree with your assessment of how it could be useful and I’m really looking forward to BK coming out of beta and seeing if/how it takes off (why when I write ‘BK’ can I not avoid thinking Burger King?)
Couple other things - looks like if you navigate to a place page on BK you can post a note there without checking in, although I just did this and it seems to not update Twitter when you do. Also, check out the Account settings - you don’t need to send your checkins to Twitter, and can just restrict it to only send posted notes or photos.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Hey Joe - I’m honored to be stalked by you! You make a good point about context. The elevation to conversations is something that is springing up naturally in Twitter yet our individual streams each still feel like they’re in their own tiny vacuums. I love that Brightkite adds the place context, and I think overlayed with thoughts going on in the same place, as well as perhaps events, photos, news in the same location, could lead to greater context and a richer story being told.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Great post Sarah..you’ve got the point! We need to semplificate all the process and find this features in a single application.
Anyway do you have a Brightkite invite for me?! :)
June 26th, 2008 at 9:41 am
[...] deleting content is starting to prove impossible. As I mentioned in The Microblogging Mess, if I post something to Brightkite but I want to delete it, I can delete it there, but then I have [...]