One of the conversations that stemmed from our “Twit-Out” a few months ago was, “Can we save Twitter with open-source?” My response was the following:

I agree that Twitter could use some help, but I don’t know if opening the source is the main solution. I do believe, a healthy dose of stiff competition encourages innovation. [...]

Today, I joined Identi.ca. Is it YATC (Yet another Twitter clone)? Sure seems like it on the surface. Identi.ca offers a timeline view identical to Twitter, limits your updates to 140 characters, and it offers Jabber/Gtalk posts and updates. If that ain’t a Twitter clone, I don’t know what is. Here’s what the founding company, Control Yourself ,has to say:

Identi.ca is similar to existing microblogging sites such as Twitter, Jaiku, or Pownce. Unlike those services, Identi.ca’s underlying software is available under an Open Source license. Identi.ca is also the first service to support OpenMicroBlogging, a standard for exchanging short messages between microblogging sites. Identi.ca also makes public user data available under a Creative Commons license in standard formats.

That’s a great quote because it clearly outlines a huge differentiator from Twitter: Identi.ca is open sourced. I stand by my original assessment that it’s not clear whether an open sourced Twitter will actually be a better Twitter, but I will watch it very closely. Another point that should be noted about Identi.ca, is that it supports OpenMicroBlogging. The software that runs Identi.ca, called Laconi.ca, allows users to run their own federated instance of the software. This has made advocates of a federated Twitter, like Dave Winer, very excited about the possibilities. I have went on record to say that a federated architecture is not also guaranteed to produce a successful Twitter, as there have been many stable non-federated messaging systems. They all had a sound design. I’m not saying it won’t work, I’m stating that it’s not a silver bullet. Either way, it’s happening now that Identi.ca has entered the space. With juggernauts such as Winer “excited” about it, it can only be a good thing for developer momentum.

So what are my thoughts about Identi.ca so far? My day 0 impressions are:

It’s slow. Not surprised at all by this. The user base is increasing a blistering pace, and I’m sure their developers are adjusting. The source is out there, so before you complain too much about it, go fix it!

According to their FAQ, many of my gripes are “coming soon”. Given the age of this service, I cannot declare it a success or failure just yet. If anyone else does, I will greatly question their motives. I do think that the addition of open source and a possible federated Twitter make it a service to watch in the coming months.

Twitter, it’s time to get stable right now.

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