SMSGupshup is a twitter like service in India, except that it is entirely supported by mobile platforms. “Gupshup’ is a hindi term for “chitchat”. SMSGupshup allows its members to exchange group messages from their mobile phones. The members do not need to go to web to open an account or participate in conversations. Since it’s launch in April 2007, the service has seen a phenomenal growth in terms of subscribers. In October 2008, the service had 12 million users and about 500 thousand communities. Last month, Michael Arrington on TechCrunch reported that the service has been adopted by 20 million users and has generated about $150,000 per month in revenue. Arrington interviewed Beerud Sheth, the founder of SMSGupshup who said that about 400 million text messages per month are exchanged by SMSGupshup users. The revenue earned by the service is through in-text advertising added four months ago.

Anand Rajaraman has a nice comparison of SMSGupshup with Twitter on his blog.

If you have used the service let me know what your experience has been. If you have any statistics related to its user profile, let me know. I will appreciate it.

In the past few days, the online world – blogosphere, twitterverse and mainstream media – has been abuzz with the role of twitter in Iran revolution. The basic question that has emerged is – What is the role of twitter in the ongoing protests in Iran? Should Twitter be seen as a reporting tool or as an activism tool?

What happened during Iran elections?

The re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran has angered the supporters of reformist challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi who are now disputing the election results. The Iran government led by Ahmadinejad has blocked traditional media outlets to restrict the information against his regime. The supporters of Mousavi, therefore, are using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to spread information, organize and collaborate.

How are the protestors using Twitter in Iran election?

There are several twitter accounts that are being used by protestors in Iran to spread information such as mousavi1388 (as reported in NYT), loftan.org besides others.

Understanding the role of Twitter

I think Twitter is being used both to spread information (as a media platform) and to organize and collaborate (as an activism platform). To think of it as performing only one of these roles would be a mistake. Because when twitter is used as a tool by activists / protestors themselves to spread information or to urge to keep on the fight it becomes a tool for both reporting and activism. People on twitter who changed their location to Tehran would also be seen as supporting the cause of protestors.

What is debatable is how big a role twitter plays in such political protests? Here, I think twitter is a tool like many others (online and offline tools) which the activists may be using during such campaigns. Therefore, to accord Twitter a highly significant status may not be a good idea. Because in developing countries, such as Iran there are many people who still don’t have access to social media and those who have may not be sophisticated users of technology.

However, the crucial role of twitter may not be neglected in such political campaigns, because the key people (organizers) in such protests are sophisticated users of Internet. They also know how important it is to have the support of international community during such protests.

Therefore, I think Twitter should be seen as both media tool as well as activism platform. Even so for reporting and activism during such protests, Twitter should be seen as one tool among many. What is also important is to understand the use of twitter by protestors within Iran to share and collaborate with each other and to reach out to international community outside Iran with information/ and for support during such protests.

Some additional links on Twitter in Iran revolution -

1. Social networks spread defiance online by Brad Stone and Noam Cohen

2. Tweeting Iran: Elex news in 140 characters or less by Rebecca Santana

3. Where is my Vote? : Iranians organize online by Mary Joyce

4. The Irony of Iran’s Twitter revolution? by Gaurav Mishra

5. More on Twitter and Protests in Tehran by Evgeny Morozov

6. Tear down this cyberwall by Nicholas D. Kristof

7. Media Literacy 101: “Allah O Akbar!” has become a cry for freedom by Susan Moeller

8. Media Literacy 101: Cloak- and – dagger news by Susan Moeller

9. America’s Iranian Twitter revolution by Maximillan Forte

10. Is Twitter really a tool for democracy? by Elizabeth Lazar

11. Iran, citizen media and media attention by Ethan Zuckerman

12. Twitter on the Barricades in Iran: Six lessons learned by Noam Cohen

I think Twitter is like speed dating.

You add people because you find something interesting about them and this could be what they mention in a simple sentence near their twitter handle. Then you get to know them through 140 characters. You exchange 140 character messages and then decide if you want to continue to know them on a longer basis.

Just 140 characters are enough and its relatively easy to follow or unfollow. No hard feelings

Compared to other social media networking sites, its relatively low involvement and less time investment. If you want people to know more about you or if you want to know more about them, you need to direct them or follow them outside of twitterverse.

Twitter is almost like scratching the surface, and if you spot Gold!!! go after it or else part ways and you don’t even need 140 characters for that!!!

Everytime I tell some of my non-tweeting friends about twitter, there are two reactions – one, it’s a waste of time and second, it’s too advanced for me. Although it’s still difficult to make sense of twitter, this post by Yung-Hiu Lim, the blogger and social media consultant, offers 8 useful tips on how to get the most out of twitter.

In this study, Beyond Microblogging: Conversation and Collaboration via Twitter, Susan Herring and Courtenay Honeycutt, found that although Twitter is designed primarily to answer the question “What are you doing?” it is increasingly being used for interactions. The tweets with @sign are more interactive in nature, giving out information to others or asking others to do something. Whereas tweets without @sign are more self-focussed and report general announcements.

You may also want to check out Gaurav Mishra’s post on study on “how Twitter is being used to maintain friendships and build influence.”

Twitteratis, post your comments, if you think otherwise or have any other observations…

I have been glued to the internet watching the mumbai attacks since yesterday. I learned about it around 1 pm US eastern time from a friend on yahoo messenger. She was outraged. I opened the NDTV live and watched in shock the burning TAJ. For about an hour, I just sat watching transfixed. I couldn’t believe, how could such an event happen in the middle of a busy city like Mumbai.

My first reaction, to know how my family and friends were. Some of my family stays very closeby to where the incident was taking place. I prayed and gathered enough courage to call them. Thankfully they are all fine.

I was hoping that it will all be over soon. But the night turned into day and day turned into night again and the terror still continues. Sitting in my room watching the live coverage of attack and reading live updates on twitter, I feel helpless. My thoughts turning into my head, and several questions emerging..why and how could something like this happen and the world watches. We are just watching and reading and listening while the terrorists are taking innocent lives…..we can speculate and we can reason….but when will this end…when 9/11 happened, we thought this was the big thing, and now we must get ready to fight terror, since then we had the Iraq war but the terrorist attacks continued – we saw the bombings in London, Delhi, and elsewhere and now Mumbai terror attacks…what are we going to do – prepare to fight another one like this….

We are getting reports from all over internet – from news media through live TV, from social media through twitter, first hand accounts from bloggers, we are so well-connected as the world, technology has brought us together like never before. I read anger, angst, pain all kinds of emotions from viewers from all over the world. The world watches in horror about what is happening in Mumbai, and tomorrow it can happen anywhere..we are connected but we are not safe. Somewhere we have gone wrong, somewhere we have failed…till yesterday, it was hijackings which made news and we were horrified with such incidents and today we are hit at right in the middle of a city, where we would think we are safest….

My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are dead or injured, who have lost their loved ones…or are awaiting them…may God (if there is one) create a miracle for everyone involved. May this event makes the world work towards peaceful solutions…