Twitter (And Friendfeed, Jaiku and Pownce) application Twhirl has now added support for open-source microblog platform Identi.ca. And, as Cnet explains, it’ll have a feature that Twitter users have asked for – push updates which send updates direct to the client, meaning no need to keep refreshing so much, and theoretically less load on the Identi.ca server.
I’m intending to take a look at the new client, and start posting more to Identi.ca, as I have a sneaky suspicion it will be one of the two or three microblogging sites with enough longevity to reach the mainstream. And I’m not sure Plurk will make it. (I’m not the only one).
Each group will have a demographic, whether it’s different due to age, class, geography etc, just as the current social network sites separate out: Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, Hi5, Bebo. But I think there will be more crossover, as people look for a site to jump to if the Fail Whale hits Twitter, or the A-Team turn up at Plurk. And an open source platform with less server load seems like a good place to build a back-up Twittergeddon bunker in times of need. After all, social networks seem slow, and blogs almost glacial if you have a serious microblog addiction. And IM won’t let you interact with enough people at once.
Twitter has enough established users. Identi.ca could become the archetype for open-source reliability. But who else can sustain themselves and offer something interesting? Place your bets in the comments!