Today, CNN reports that plans may be in the works for popular app makers UberMedia to form their own social network rival to Twitter that “could compete with that popular microblogging platform.”
CNN cites three people who have been briefed on the plans as its source. From CNN:
The service would seek to attract users by addressing common complaints about Twitter, such as its restriction on the length of a message and how it can be confusing to newcomers, according to these sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.
If you aren’t familiar with UberMedia, they are a California based company that develops third-party applications for Twitter and other social media. Their apps, which include UberSocial, Echofon and Twidroyd, allow users to interact with Twitter without using the official Twitter applications or the Twitter website. Many people prefer UberMedia’s interface and features to the official Twitter products.
UberMedia has a healthy share in the Twitterverse, according to a report issued by Sysomos last month. They analyzed over 25 million tweets in one day and reported that non-official Twitter clients were responsible for 42% off all tweets. Of that chunk, UberMedia’s UberSocial, Echofon and Twidroyd were responsible for 27.4% of the tweet volume.
There have been issues between Twitter and UberMedia in the past, as Twitter suspended UberTwitter and Twidroyd in February. The apps were later reinstated, and UberTwitter became UberSocial. In March, Twitter’s Ryan Sarver posted a message to third-party developers that warned them to steer clear of developing apps that “mimic or reproduce the mainstream Twitter consumer client experience.” This message was issued in conjunction with an update to Twitter’s terms of service regarding their API access.
It’s not likely that a new social network similar to Twitter could realistically compete with its dominance anytime soon. Twitter just reported that they were up to 155 million tweets a day.
UberMedia does however have plenty of users who enjoy their apps, and loyal clients could move over to a new network, especially if they have problems with basic Twitter constructs like the 140 character limit.
“Our foremost desire is to continue to innovate on the Twitter platform and bring more users and usage to Twitter,” UberMedia CMO Steve Chadima said in a statement to CNN
Is it possible that UberMedia could build a successful social network to rival Twitter? Would you use it? Let us know what you think.