First we had Twitter. Then we had Yammer (and Identi.ca and Present.ly). Now we have Twingr. You can create your own version of Twitter for any group you like, and Twingr will host it. The service, created by Killer Startups (which recently bought Startups.com and is expanding beyond blogging), just launched in private alpha and is open to the first 500 micro-blogging communities that get on it.
Like Twitter, you can send out 140-character messages, follow what other people in your Twingr group are saying, and send direct messages to them as well. A nice added touch is a box where you can paste links without taking up any of your allotted characters. No need to fool around with TinyURLs (Twitter, take note). Here is a TechCrunch Twingr that I just set up.
You can think of Twingr as the Ning of micro-blogging sites. The idea is that there will be hundreds of Twingrs (eventually more), all organized around their own particular communities. In this sense, Twingr is very much like Yammer, the TechCrunch50 winner that created an enterprise version of Twitter. In fact, Twingr looks almost exactly like Yammer, down to the royal blue background. The difference is that Yammer is a private messaging service limited to people in your company, whereas anyone can see and join your Twingr group.
To be honest, I’d just rather wait until Twitter launches its own version of groups, as it already has in Japan. I’ve already put so much effort into building up my network there, and it is programmed into my phone for easy SMS Tweets. Until then, there’s Twingr.
Update: Turns out it’s a great day to launch a Twitter competitor because Twitter is once again down.
Update 2 (11/14): During the first 20 hours after its launch, 1,000 Twingr communities were created. The private alpha is now closed
Typo, P1: “Liek Twitter, you can send out 140-character messages…”
Mudkips?
“First we had Twitter. Then we had Yammer (and Identi.ca and Present.ly). Now we have Twingr”. Except that, before Twingr there was Zenect at http://www.zenect.com. Difference is Zenect is made for businesses, teams, organizations and also include a self-service mobile marketing network so anyone can make money.
You’ve got to be in the valley to get consistent coverage. And what’s the deal with making money?
Really though, does anybody else see the similarities between the valley and wall street? Both churned through cash while creating products with values based on nothing. Wall street lost and so will the valley.
love your optimism.
I agree that it seems easier to use Twitter or perhaps Yammer than building something yourself. It is interesting, though, to see microblogging get so much attention.
Mark
I’m not exactly sure you have to “build it” yourself, Mark… I mean… think about it… at Ning do you have to “build it” yourself? Not hardly.
Very cool, a free private twitter community. Too bad I don’t have any friends. I like the idea of splitting out the URL from the message but, as someone pointed, twingr obscures the URL link. They should place it directly below the user post.
something about “share your twingr” sounds dirty.
These twitter clones couldn’t be more boring. The differentiation is on the micro-feature level – yawn.
You’ll all be done when Google rolls out their version.
Screw Google. Besides, didn’t you hear the sky is falling? There will be no Google before long!! Yaaaay!!
Cool, can’t wait to try it!
Okay, I tried it but the ‘Sign Up’ link on ‘create your account’ page doesn’t work. It annoying that you don’t realize it until after you’ve filled out all the info.
This is nothing like Twitter — there is no SMS feature
(I am signed up and see no place to enter in my cell # or anyone else’s).
* My requests:
1. Take a page from FriendFeed and let me embed my own Twingr community.
2. Let me decide how many characters I would like to limit my community to.
3. Let me add images into my updates and do so by integrating an image reccomendation system that allows me ‘one-click’ add an image to my Twing.
from tinycomb.com
Why cover this crap ? There are tonnes of twitter clones – they are all boring. For christ sake, cover something different for once.
Twingr sounds very cool for setting up niche specific tweet services for things like fishing or hunting or even business/job updates.
I especially like being able to add a link without it taking up some of the 140 characters.
Don’t know how successful it will be taking away from the already dominant, established and household name of Twitter though.
Alexander
If they’re not using SMS, then why the 140 char limit still?
Buzzable (http://buzzable.com/) has let you create groups for a few months now…
http://www.zenect.com is definitely better than twingr. Just signed up and if you have a following you can make money off of your messages!
This one looks awesome!
http://about.yonkly.com
But check out their sample one: it’s twitter for SEX! http://hotwitter.com
Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of a broad-scale microblogging network like Twitter? The point is to be able to blast your message out to many people, is it not? I see the point of Yammer, but other than intranet-based stuff like that I don’t see the point.
but what I really wanted was a website that can make websites that can make twitter clones.
Ugh. That noise you hear is business-oriented guys such as myself having multiple heart-attacks at yet another crappy clone with no idea on monetization.
Hi Nirav. How’s the weather in Looserville? While “business-oriented” guys like you are posting comments, guys like the Twingr founders are succeding.
Yeah buddy, they are really “succeeding.” Getting pub on TC doesn’t mean that a product has succeeded. I give it 6 months.
I tried to create but failed, do not know why?
It is really nice to see more and more sites entering the micro blogging niche. In the end it can only force more competition between sites and result in a big win for the user. If you’re still waiting for an invite for Twingr, you might want to check out Buzzable (http://www.buzzable.com). We’ve been up for a few months and have been hammering out new features on a weekly basis.
We currently offer twitter-style group communication, including sms and email notifications. Stay tuned because we’ll have some exciting updates by the end of the week!
Feel free to shoot me an email and tell me what you think.
Ovais [at] Buzzable.com
Buzzable.com