MicroBlogging
Micro blogging is a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, digital audio or the web.
The content of a micro-blog differs from a traditional blog in that it is typically smaller in actual size and aggregate file size. A single entry could consist of a single sentence or fragment or an image or a brief, ten second video. But, still, its purpose is similar to that of a traditional blog. Users micro-blog about particular topics that can range from the simple, such as “what one is doing at a given moment,” to the thematic, such as “sports cars,” to business topics, such as particular products. Many micro-blogs provide short commentary on a person-to-person level, share news about a company’s products and services, or provide logs of the events of one’s life.
Several studies, most notably by Harvard Business School and Sysomos, have tried to analyze the usage behavior of Microblogging services.[4][5] Many of these studies show that for services such at Twitter, there is a small group of active users contributing to most of the activity.[6] Sysomos’ Inside Twitter survey, based on more than 11 million users, shows that 10% of Twitter users account for 86% of all activity.
Twitter, Facebook and other micro-blogging services are also becoming a platform for marketing and public relations[7], with a sharp growth in the number of social media marketers. The Sysomos study shows that this specific group of marketers on Twitter is much more active than general user population, with 15% following more than 2,000 people. This is in sharp contrast to only 0.29% of overall Twitter users who follow more than 2,000 people.[5]
Microblogging services have also emerged as an important source of real-time news updates for recent crisis situations, such as Mumbai terror attacks or Iran protests.[8][9] Short nature of updates allow users to post news items quickly in real-time, reaching its audience in seconds.
The findings of a study by Emily Pronin of Princeton University and Harvard University’s Daniel Wegner, pointing to a link between the short bursts of activity that microblogging frequently involves and feelings of elation, power and creativity, have been cited as a possible reason for the rapid growth of microblogging
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