Technorati's new Twittorati (launched July 7, and not last week as some sites are reporting) will feature tweets from what Technorati thinks are the top 100 bloggers. This gives Technorati its coveted "business model" (everyone wants to be the Digg of Twitter), but it has numerous shortcomings in terms of presenting users with useful and interesting content. First, it assumes that the tweets of the top bloggers are as interesting as the their blog posts, never mind whether the blog posts are that interesting. (Thanks to TechCrunch for the best headline on this topic "Twittorati Will Show You How Awesomely Fascinating Bloggers' Lives Are (Or Not).")
Second, for the 12 million people on Twitter, Twittorati reproduces the same links from the top bloggers like Guy Kawasaki and Ariana Huffington that users are already bombarded with through hundreds of Twitter RTs. I have a great tool I use for following the top bloggers on Twitter. It's called Twitter. And if I didn't, I would set up Google Reader or a NetVibes page with Twitter and blog RSS feeds from only the top bloggers that interest me. Why would I need yet another aggregator that doesn't give me any choices?
Finally, so much of the most interesting stuff is coming from newer bloggers, up-and-comers, people writing outside the core blogging standby subjects of IT, politics and entertainment. And how many blogs from outside the U.S. are on Twittorati? I'd venture to say "none." So much for a diversity of voices, though I understand that is not the intent of Twittorati.
I'm super cynical, and not sure I get Twittorati, and what differentiates it. I wish Technorati the best with this. And I hope they keep indexing my Technorati tags correctly. I appreciate it.
Tags: Technorati, Twittorati
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