The other night I was on Plurk and left the site for about 30 mins. When I came back, I saw that Tim Jackson had plurked about 15 mins earlier that he had chips and beer for dinner.
And that plurk already had 75 replies.
What I've noticed in the last week or so is that Plurk's format, which encourages you to 'let your hair down', is the perfect pair for threaded conversations. I've seen plurks get 100 replies in an hour, and a few have gotten close to 200 replies in a day or so. A plurk getting 50 replies is fairly common.
And no, we aren't just talking about our horrible eating habits, this thread about social media strategies has over 120 replies, this one on basic Plurk functions has over 170 replies, and this one from Ann Handley discussing social media thought leaders has almost 200 replies.
What Plurk has done is marry a funky format that encourages people to 'just be themselves', to the ability to have threaded conversations. These two characteristics play off each other to allow plurks to blossom into conversations with dozens of replies in minutes. And as these two dynamics work together, it encourages people to connect and become more comfortable with each other. Which just leads to even more robust conversations.
Which is why threaded conversations is a game-changer for the microblogging format. Dismiss Plurk all you like, but it's cookin' up some goodness that *will* seriously shape and impact the microblogging format from here on out.
Bonus Link: If you're new to Plurk, this post has some tips to get you started.
Tags:The Viral Garden, Marketing
11 comments:
I'm enjoying plurk so far, I'm not sure that the rush to gain stats is helpful to the community on the whole, after all people simple say anything to have another plurk, but as an experiement it is fun for now!
You just HAD to bring up that thread...
Darren, you're absolutely right about folks Plurking away just to get Karma points, but Twitter is the same way- look at how many people like talk about the number of followers they have or the number they are following. People, by nature, are competitive.
Mack you're right; the threaded conversations have produced some of the very best discussions on Social Media I have ever seen. Some occasional silliness is often tossed in as well, but it keeps things lively and people are really participating. I really only visit Twitter now to see what's happening that I can't really miss... and then I go back to Plurk to talk about it.
Plurk is winning me over- and I was a HUGE skeptic.
I love the threaded conversation aspect of Plurk, although I wish that learning the ropes were a bit easier than just diving in. In that respect, Twitter's a bit easier to use, but once you get the hang of Plurk, it's quite natural. Mack, you really should do a Plurk-101 class.
I just found plurk, and I love it! :)
Darren I think you could be at least partially right about people wanting to throw out more plurks to get more karma. Then again, it looks like once you hit 50 that's it for emoticons, so that should stop a lot of the 'noise', if that's what it is.
Erika I agree, Twitter is easier to grasp, but for convos, Plurk is the winner hands-down.
My Friday night conversation is now forever immortalized...twice! Lovely! ;-)
Mack you bring up an excellent point, it is all about the threaded conversation. To be able to ask a question and get responses from people you know, may not know, or heard from otherwise is amazing—and enlightening—to me.
Plurk conversations are as if I could be right there at a meeting, seminar, or party. The on-the-fly banter is just the added bonus that truly gives you a sense of someone's personality...in real time.
As well, if it weren't for Plurk, I wouldn't have had the "get-to-know-you" conversations with you, @timjackson and @connie. Would it have happened on Twitter? Maybe, but not as soon or as carefree.
I am a huge fan of Plurk and I cannot wait to see where it goes.
I agree w/ you, Mack. Twitter is easier to grasp, but the threaded conversation really rocks.
i've got to check plurk out. the non-threaded conversation is the one thing i'm finding hard to follow about twitter. thanks for sharing.
Plurk is silly & fun. Filled with all sorts. Emoticons & Karma pursuit will appeal to those who love online status. Truly.
But really good conversations are at FriendFeed. Incredible place. How would you compare to Plurk, Mack? Curious.
Peace!
hi...i'm visiting here, permit me to read on first, nice article
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