20 reasons why Seesmic acquired Twhirl
As TechCrunch just announced, Seesmic just acquired Twhirl. And here are 20 ways it will benefit the Seesmic community —Staying in touch with your friends using microblogging is much easier using a client than through your browser
Context & Ripple Effects
Seesmic entered 2008 after closing an initial $6 million round in September 2007. Bringing Twhirl’s Adobe AIR-based Twitter client into the company gives that funding-backed startup a desktop product alongside its community ambitions.
The importance is distribution: Seesmic argues that a dedicated client makes keeping up with microblogging contacts easier than relying on a browser, making the interface itself a competitive asset.
First-order effects
- Seesmic takes control of Twhirl’s Adobe AIR-based Twitter client, placing its product development and user experience under Seesmic’s direction.
- Twhirl users become part of a Seesmic-led product ecosystem built around easier access to Twitter conversations.
Second-order effects
- Twitter’s browser experience faces a more polished access point from Seesmic, shifting competition toward the convenience and responsiveness of third-party clients.
- Other Twitter-client developers must contend with a Seesmic that combines a desktop client with the resources of its 2007 funding round.
Third-order effects
- If dedicated clients continue to make microblogging materially easier to use, control of the access layer can become as strategically important as the social service itself.
- The deal points toward social-media companies using acquisitions to own the interfaces through which users follow and publish updates, rather than depending solely on the browser.
The trend: Microblogging is evolving into a contest for the client layer, where desktop software can shape how users access and participate in social networks.