TODAY IS THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF JAIKU FRIDAY, suggested back in 2007 by Pixenate frontman Walter Higgins and echoed by Alexia Golez. It passed by without Google using the event as any sort of benchmark because even in 2007, Twitter was everybody's baby. When I posted my original item in 2007, 38 references appeared to Jaiku Friday on Google. I preferred to use Jaiku as my microblogging platform because the service worked very nicely on my Nokia E90. Back then, I was following fewer than 50 people and around 20 websites with Jaiku as the main aggregator. Jaiku also worked very well as a back channel for community groups, as a text channel for college campus activities and as a friendly place for social networking site.
The essential back channel. After all is said and done concerning microblogging, I think one thing has emerged on the heels of all these start-ups (i.e., Jaiku, Twitter, Identica, Pownce). It is remarkable how microblogging has pushed hashtagging and conference natterings into very potent and easily finable back channels. If participants tuned into back channel hashtags, they can often learn more about sessions and presentations than they would by sitting through them. I value back channel chatter because it gives me an impressive cross-section of background information and colour commentary that proves useful when blogging about an event or when writing meeting minutes.
And it's free.
Comment on this post by using Jaiku. Join the 2007 thread.
Alexia Golez -- "Do You Jaiku?" (Domain now parked.)
Ken McGuire -- "Jaiku Friday, Didn't You Know?" on Ken's blog 21 Sep 07.
