Rejaw is a new micro-blogging platform which launched about two months ago. Now the question is, is Rejaw just another Twitter clone or is it something really unique? Well lets find an answer.

The basics

First of all, I like their design. Its nice and simple. Maybe they could use images instead of using those big ass texts for the headers (ex: shouts, replies, etc). They could make it look a lot better by doing that. But, the colour scheme rocks.

Oh and the name, Rejaw. I’m not too sure if its a good name. I guess its a memorable name.

Profile Customization

Nothing special. Just lets you upload a profile picture, lets you write a bit about yourself and you can enter your location. Doesn’t let you edit the CSS like in Plurk or change the colours and upload a background image like in Twitter. So, that sucks.

Friends & Fans

It’s like Twitter. They have followers and following. Nothing to explain here.

Shouts

The shouts are a bit like Plurk. You get like a page with all the replies. So, that’s good. And it updates real-time. That’s a really good feature. They also have this thing called “whispers” which is like private messages.

The community

The people over there looks pretty active. I made my first shout and I got a few replies within seconds. I was pretty surprised. I guess its because they display all the latest shouts on the front page. Now that’s a good way to keep the level of activity up.

How popular is it?

Its not really popular. I would say its just hyped. So, that means there isn’t a lot of users or at least, active users. People signup for new stuff, they use it a bit and then they leave. I found a lot of users like this on Plurk, so you should be expecting the same from Rejaw too.

Is it just another clone?

No, its not just another Twitter clone. Its more like a clone of Twitter and Plurk. They took the basic idea from Twitter, copied the reply page idea from Plurk and added their own unique feature which is the real-time updates.

Would I use it?

Well I’m not too sure. I mean I’m already using Twitter and Plurk. And now, Rejaw? Plus its not even that cool, to be honest. I might try it out for a bit if I get a few followers there. Right now its 50/50.

Would YOU use it?

Are you going to try it out? Or are you already using it? What do you think of it? Do you think it can compete with the big guys, Twitter and Plurk? Please share your thoughts with us.

I’ve seen a lot of bloggers say that you shouldn’t micro-blog, it’s a waste of time, bla, blah. But, some did say that you can micro-blog, but it shouldn’t be your priority. Now I agree with these folks.

You could micro-blog, but make sure its down somewhere on your list of priorities. Don’t spend too much time on it. Well here are my 5 simple reasons:

1. Get my name out

I know that my blog isn’t popular (yet). I need to promote my blog and get more people to read it. They need to know about it. I need to spread the word. Once in a while, I share one of my posts there and a lot of people check it out. I got a bunch of new readers from Plurk too. Sometimes they even share my post with people, so that’s great.

And of course, self-promotion. I need to get my name out too. Actually wait. I don’t really do it for self-promotion. Well maybe, a bit.

2. Breaking news

People do a bit of micro-blogging when something is going on. There was an earthquake and the news got on Twitter within seconds. Redux.com got 8 million in funding. People are like mini-journalists on there.

So, I can stayed updated and hopefully, get the word before other sites do. I try to be the first one to blog about something important. I like to beat those big guys at blogs like TechCrunch. It’s like a little race, you know? Never mind.

3. Traffic!

Oh yes, don’t forget traffic. I got my link on my pimpin` profile. People go check out it and they click on the link and tada! I signed up for Twitter a few weeks ago and I didn’t really use it. Yesterday I started using it properly and I got about a hundred unique visitors. Not bad, huh? Think about what you could do in the long run.

4. Connect with people

Yeah I don’t just micro-blog for traffic and promotion. I also do it because its a great way to meet different people. Like connect with other bloggers and don’t forget, you can meet a few important figures (aka web celebs) on there too. Its a great way to share tips, ideas, etc.

Oh and with you guys too. I mean my readers. I think bloggers should get to know their readers and so, a lot of them do it on micro-blogs. I haven’t done it yet, but I will. I’ll put up links to my Twitter and Plurk on the sidebar.

5. Because I actually want to do it

Okay people seem to forget this. I wanna micro-blog because I like the idea. I have things to talk about which are too short and sometimes, irrelevant for my blog, so I do it there. That way I’m keeping up the quality of content on my blog rather than quantity.

Now I don’t mean micro-blogging about things like “okay I’m going to take a shit now. i’ll be back in 10″. No. I mean geek stuff. For example, sharing what another blogger posted about, a breaking news, sharing links to cool sites, etc.

Over to you

Are you micro-blogging right now? Are you thinking of doing it? Or will you pass? Tell us what you think about it. And check out my Twitter vs Plurk post if you’re not sure which one to use.

Oh and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Plurk.

Ever wondered if Twitter was the best or if it was Plurk? Well I did and I’m sure a lot of you did too. So here’s the ultimate showdown for Twitter and Plurk! Any ideas on who’s going to be the winner? Lets find out.

The looks

Looks are important. It works as a magnet. Well Twitter and Plurk both have a nice design. But, I like the Plurk layout over Twitter. I like the whole timeline idea. Its very unique, makes it easier to find your friend’s plurk and of course, the plurks show up in a chronological order (left: newest & right: oldest). While Twitter’s layout is a bit messy. I’m talking about the place where you see all your friend’s tweets.

Profile Customization

Plurk lets you customize your profile using CSS (but you need to wait until you get 25 Karma) and Plurk also comes with themes that you can choose from (noob-friendly!). Twitter doesn’t have that and you just get to choose what colour you want where (ex: background, sidebar, etc). And of course, both of them lets you upload your own picture for the profile.

So, yeah Plurk is both good for starters and experienced users (who knows CSS). You can really customize your Plurk profile while Twitter only lets you choose colours and a background picture (not so good).

How easy is it to make friends?

It’s really, really easy to make friends on Plurk. There’s a page with random users and you can just add them (if you find them interesting). It doesn’t take a lot of time and effort. Getting friends on Twitter is a bit hard. I got 57 friends on Plurk and 8 on Twitter. That explains a lot, huh?

How many friends reply/comment?

I just started using both Plurk and Twitter a few days ago. So, I don’t have a lot of loyal friends. But, I do get a few comments on my plurks while I got only one reply on Twitter.

Privacy options

Yeah this one’s for you privacy freaks. I don’t really care who sees my plurks or tweets (since they’re not personal). Okay there is a privacy option on Twitter that lets you choose to allow the people you follow see your tweets, only. Plurk has a bit more privacy options. You can setup who can view your plurks and who can search for you on Plurk.

Private Messages

Private messages are the messages you want to send to one specific friend. On Twitter you can send private tweets only to your mutual friends. On Plurk its looking a lot better. You can choose to send plurks only to your friends or a few specific friends. Great, huh? Plurk wins this round.

Incoming traffic

Yeah this one’s for the people looking for some traffic from micro-blogging. Well like I said I just started using them few days ago and I pretty much stopped using Twitter. I did get a bit more traffic from Plurk then Twitter. But, when I compared how many friends I have on Twitter and Plurk to the number of visitors coming from them, I saw that Twitter was more efficient.

Random features/things

• You can disable comments on Plurk.
• You write in 3rd person on Plurk most of the time (ex: th13rteen [thinks] if blogging about twitter and plurk will be good?). Awkward!
• You can tweet from your cellphone on Twitter.

So which one is the best?

Twitter: If you already have friends using it, if you have a nice community following you everywhere or if you’re successful on the web like Darren Rowse or Michael Arrington. And if you’re looking for some traffic!

Plurk: If want to micro-blog for fun, want to make a few buddies, be a bit more personal and build a profile.

Right now I’m using Plurk. I kinda stopped using Twitter, but I’ll put a bit more effort into it. So, I’ll be using them both with Ping.fm. I need to post a bit more links on Twitter than Plurk (that’s what everyone seems to be doing on Twitter).

So, go ahead and join Twitter and Plurk. And don’t forget to add me: Twitter & Plurk.

To the readers

So what do you think? Which one do YOU like better? Tell us about it. And hey, don’t forget to subscribe via RSS or email for more like this!