Twitter has been tremendously successful at removing communication -- and cultural -- barriers across individuals and organizations using the internet. It's simple platform encourages a high degree of information sharing, thus leading to powerful viral effects.
Google Wave now promises to introduce an equally powerful set of communication tools and platforms for the web. While more collaborative than Twitter, both offer better ways of discovering information through technology.
But, should Twitter be careful about losing its prestige, dominance, and sexiness to Google Wave -- similar to what happened to Apple in the late 1980s when Microsoft stepped in with Windows? Granted, Microsoft has always lacked in the style and design factors, but ultimately won market share over Apple through the commoditization of the PC, thus bringing down the cost of ownership. Secondly, Microsoft offered developers a dynamic platform for building applications, enhancing the value proposition for the PC.
Certainly, Twitter is a free service, and it appears Google Wave will be as well. However, will the ubiquity of Twitter fail to meet the more open and progressive Wave system? Although cost of ownership was a primary factor between Apple and Microsoft in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the "software gap" between the two brands seemed to hamper the success of Apple. Will the limited functionality of Twitter force the same consequences?
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