The launch of FriendFeed has started a new discussion about FriendFeed vs. Twitter. Social media and tech blogs have been discussing these two services lately. You will see posts like “FriendFeed vs. Twitter” and “FriendFeed Will Kill Twitter” on different social media blogs. Are FriendFeed and Twitter really competitors? Let’s check it out!

In FriendFeed v. Twitter: Half the Followers in Five Months, Michael Arrington describes his observations about Twitter and FriendFeed. He observes that FriendFeed is attracting Twitter users. He says,

“Twitter is still far larger than its much younger competitor FriendFeed in aggregate terms. But an interesting trend is developing - many longtime Twitter users are noticing that the number of followers they have on FriendFeed is growing far more rapidly than on Twitter. And the conversations at FriendFeed are better, too.

“I joined Twitter when it launched in mid 2006 (about 24 months ago), and have, as of today, 20,464 followers .

“I joined FriendFeed on February 9, 2008 (about 5 months ago), and I now have 10,177 subscribers , nearly half Twitter count in less than 1/4 of the time.

“Like many others, I’m also noticing that the discussions occurring on FriendFeed are more interesting (and longer) than the equivalent conversations at Twitter. It’s often 2-to-1 on the number of comments. Which means that those FriendFeed users are far more engaged than those on Twitter.”

In FriendFeed vs. Twitter & Why Twitter Isn’t Going Anywhere, Steven Hodson raises the point that the two services, Twitter and FriendFeed, are different and it is not fair to compare them with each other. His point is:

“With FriendFeed, it is similar to Twitter in the fact they are building something that really wasn’t there before. Where Twitter is much like a subway train as it carries messages back and forth FriendFeed has become the Union Station of our online lives. Through it we can easily watch what all the other people that matter to us are doing but in one centralized space. As Twitter hasn’t been designed to do anything more that share messages FriendFeed has been designed to be our personal library.

“This is where the differences between the users of the systems will come into play. With Twitter users; both now and in the future, it is simply a matter of being able to talk aloud and have your friends hear you. It isn’t about creating a lifestream of data and nor is it about having an in depth conversation. This was the whole reason behind limiting the text to 140 characters. With FriendFeed though its users are collectors of information and are looking for conversation beyond short bursts of text that quickly pass by you.”

FriendFeed is a more specialized and stable service as compared to Twitter. I believe Twitter is for casual users and FriendFeed is for professional and serious users. I definitely do not think that Twitter and FriendFeed are competitors. FriendFeed lets its users communicate and share information and photos with each other along with collecting news items. SMM experts are predicting that FriendFeed is the future of micro-blogging. Let’s wait and see how this newly launched service creates its impact.

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