18 Comments »
Earlier today Facebook turned on a feature to let users receive text updates from public profiles, the same way that Twitter users can receive mobile updates from specified profiles. It’s a small change but for brands it adds a lot of potential. Mobile broadcasting is a huge feature for companies that are looking to reach out to fans directly.
While Facebook hasn’t added a subscription count to a public profile’s insights yet, I would imagine that to be a new measurement within public profile insights in the near future. At this point, there’s little else functionality provided by Twitter that Facebook doesn’t have built in to their public profiles product. The only thing missing is complete access for developers via the API but that functionality is expected to be added in the near future.
The only additional feature that Twitter has built in and Facebook doesn’t is an aggregated “Favorites”
page. Many users have been requesting access to a list of items that they’ve liked but so far Facebook hasn’t added anything. Ultimately it’s a matter of time before Facebook releases the few remaining items. Despite being able to duplicate all of Twitter’s functionality, Facebook has yet to stunt Twitter’s growth.
According to numerous sources Oprah’s show ended up driving over a million new subscribers to Twitter and the buzz only continues to grow. It will be interesting to see if brands decide to take advantage of Twitter and Facebook in the same way. Personally I’ve shifted the majority of my activity to Facebook but then again, I write about Facebook everyday.
Do you think the addition of text message updates from public profiles will drive more users away from Twitter and on to Facebook?
Update
As one commenter has pointed out, this is not limited to public profiles. Users can also subscribe directly to other users’ status updates. This is a significant upgrade by Facebook.
Smart move I think. Twitter is so simple in concept and code. The more Facebook replicates Twitter, the more they can make sure Twitter doesn’t gain too much ground on them. Twitter is a stripped down Facebook. Facebook should in theory be able to provide most of what Twitter provides. Integration is inevitable. Too bad MySpace wasn’t savvy enough to duplicate Facebook better…lol.
Facebook can keep adding all the functionality it wants, but it won’t change things. In fact, all that functionality is the reason why it hasn’t driven Twitter to its grave. Twitter is simple. It does one thing and it does it right.
That being said, I use both. Facebook is good for some things and Twitter is good for others and never the twain shall meet.
I wonder how they will handle status updates longer than 160 characters?
Interesting! And on the same day MySpace gets former FB CFO as its new CEO.
Actually, this isn’t Public Profile-exclusive. You can receive any normal member’s status updates on your phone as well, via an exact replica of the aforementioned “Subscribe to” link. You can also do this from the Mobile Settings section of Facebook by typing in a friend’s name into the appropriate text field.
I attempted to ping you on Twitter about this a few days ago, but you didn’t seem to see it in your @ mentions.
Getting a user’s status updates via text isn’t even new. I’ve been using this to get my wife’s status updates via text message for at least 6 months, probably closer to a year.
SMS updates from Facebook have been a feature for well over a year. Maybe over two years. I know it was one of the features that I first notice but didn’t bother using.
The main difference though is that you don’t have to know anyone on Twitter to build a strong social network. With FB your experience is defined by how many people you know participate and how many people request you as a friend. I spend far more time on Twitter and have sent my blog feeds to it. It’s been great for meeting people.
FB added the feature to public profiles 2 days ago - blogged about it.
http://www.buzzmarketingdaily.com/2009/04/breaking-news-facebook-adds-full-mobile.html
I apologize, Donald. I was under a wrong impression. What I did notice to be new, however, was that Facebook has made status subscription more prominent via the newly added “Subscribe to” links that I noted.
I think this is an interesting salvo in the Facebook/Twitter war - and make no mistake that’s what is going on here - but not that relevant for 99% of Facebook users. Facebook changes so often and without consent (we’ve all heard the din of users screaming over recent changes) that most Facebook users will have no clue, nor care, that this feature exists. It will definitely be up to brands to advertise that this functionality exists. As an implementer of social media strategies, believe me I will be one of those helping those brands to do so.
Twitter is one thing: easy. Its purpose is clear. It does one thing and does it well. Facebook is a chameleon: constantly adding or removing features at whim. And as far as developer uptake goes good luck. Facebook has consistently and repeatedly cut its developers off at the knees since the F8 Platform launched in 2007. I don’t see many giving a hoot about this even if it is exposed by the API at some point.
Twitter is not easy. Twitter requires it’s users to learn syntax @makesureyouspellitright is really obnoxious. New users have to learn what RT means (and doesn’t mean). There’s a whole little “techy” culture associated with twitter that I personally don’t think will catch on in the mainstream.
That said, I will continue using twitter until facebook starts supporting t-mobile.
Also, facebook’s users REALLY don’t care when facebook screws the developers. I makes a lot of apps that aren’t maintained break. I’m okay with that. Facebook doesn’t try to maintain old versions of the platform — they focus and tell developers to keep up with them. I’m okay with that. Facebook frequently tightens newly created viral channels just as apps start (over) using them. I’m okay with that.
So while twitter is easier for developers to use, that won’t get them 200,000,000 users.
I concur with the above commenters. Getting status updates for specific users via text messages has been available for at least 10 months. The feature was available in June 2008 as far as I know, possibly earlier.
Computers are puting man. What else can I say..LOL
This may have been mentioned in one of the comments - I have not read them all - but Facebook ha had this function for at least a year now. I have several users status updates coming directly to my celly phone.
The settings are located here:
http://www.facebook.com/mobile/?settings=1
I do recognize the point of the article stating Facebook has made it ore prominent.
I suspect twitter will win because there seems to be alot more power in the tweet. Most marketers, bloggers, and web business owners get far more twitter traffic. Also going into twitter is no ordeal and the people on twitter are more excited with the medium as a whole. Facebook is old and many of the things that grew its numbers will eventually diminish in returns. Twitter on the other hand with so few on it will experience good growth. In twenty years twitter will probably be what more people speak easy about.
“Most marketers, bloggers, and web business owners get far more twitter traffic”
That’s exactly why Twitter and FB will probably never intersect (or at least why Twitter will never take over FB…). Twitter today is a “decent” way for businesses, bloggers and marketers to brag about their work with more of the like. If you enjoy knowing Ashton Kutcher’s POV on something or subscribing to his “damage control” of a situation (he said it on Oprah….) then Twitter is the place to be!
Facebook is connecting with people you actually care about.
I cant find the option on my fan page or other pages. Can someone help?