(March 15, 2010)
"Twitter CEO Evan Williams announced Monday that the company plans to introduce a new platform called '@anywhere.' The new service will allow Twitter users to connect to their Twitter accounts through third-party Websites such as The New York Times and eBay -- similar to the way Facebook Connect allows Facebook users to sign into other Websites using their Facebook accounts.
"The announcement was made at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. The @anywhere platform will allow Twitter users to interact with Twitter even when they are not on the Twitter Website -- they'll be able to, say, follow their favorite columnist from The New York Times, or Tweet about a particularly great deal on eBay, without ever having to leave the third-party's site...."
"...A Twitter blog post notes that the primary purpose of @anywhere is so that 'Website owners and operators will be able to offer visitors more value with less heavy lifting.' It does seem a lot like Facebook Connect, although Twitter will have to work hard to displace Facebook's grasp on the Web -- after all, one of the biggest draws of Facebook Connect is that users can log into sites using their Facebook accounts instead of going through a lengthy registration process. By contrast, Twitter's @anywhere looks like it will only make one's Twitter account more interactive -- and not replace any login screens. Of course, more details are yet to come, so it may be more (or less) like Facebook Connect than it sounds...."
After that title, "The Trouble With Twitter's @anywhere Service", I expected to read about some sort of issue: potential or otherwise. Possibly involving privacy or security concerns.
The "trouble," as nearly as I could tell, was that the new Twitter @anywhere Service was quite a bit like Facebook Connect: a service that apparently has been used by Facebook members. And, that it's a service that "will only make one's Twitter account more interactive -- and not replace any login screens".
Maybe I missed something. Or maybe "trouble" means "sort of like an existing service" in some subcultures. Sort of like a new French restaurant having the "trouble" of serving escargot, just like the another French restaurant. Or maybe "trouble" means "not quite what I thought the company would come up with next."
Like I said, maybe I missed something.
If this post seems familiar, there's a reason. I've written about Twitter before, fairly recently.
Sort-of-related post:
- "Safety Advice for Twitter Users: Or Anybody Else"
(February 27, 2010)
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