Technology Review: Consolidating Your Web Banter

Sign of the times

Using Twhirl, a person can post to three services at once--Twitter, plus the similar services Pownce and Jaiku--and likewise get updates from friends using any one of these services, regardless of whether or not the friend uses Twhirl. Loic Le Meur, founder of Seesmic, says Twhirl will soon provide access to Seesmic and other services.

"When blogging and social software started," Le Meur says, "everyone kept their centralized information somewhere, like on their blog. Now we're coming into a situation that is totally opposite." He says when he goes online, he checks 10 different services, such as e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and his blog. "It's a nightmare," he says. Because of the incompatibility of services, communicating with friends requires him to hop from one service to the next. "What matters isn't the services," he says, it's your friends.

Technology Review: Consolidating Your Web Banter