With due respect for all Twitter bashers (see here for an example), I would like to make a few comments in defense of Twitter.

I certainly agree that it is easy and tempting to flow with the hype, and internet bubble of late 90’s and recent real estate bubbles are good examples of that. Therefore, I am not going to suggest that Twitter is going to be next Google, though it’s important to note that nobody could have imagined that Google would threaten Microsoft so soon so fast. However, few would disagree that social media is here to stay. Very few understood blogging when it started, but today it has opened up the long tail of journalism. Video sharing has become a phenomenon in itself, and though Youtube is still struggling to make money, there is little doubt that it has opened up a new world of opportunities for wannabe artists, producers, journalists etc. I believe that micro-blogging is also going to create an impact that not many people can anticipate today.

Is it really going to have a broad commercial impact?

While it’s too early to say whether Twitter or micro-blogging in itself will necessarily have “broad” commercial impact, micro-blogging is certainly a step toward changing the way businesses and users communicate with their friends, family, fans, and customers. So, while in itself micro-blogging might not create a huge impact, it will lead to other innovations and improvements that will have wide range of effects on digital economy.

It has to be solving an actual real problem, a pressing need in the world.

When PCs came out, many people thought of them as luxury toys of little value. Several experts dismissed social networking platforms. I will list out a few advantages and potential uses of micro-blogging that might or might not be obvious to some readers:

- Though I will be foolish to hope that I’d be able to catch Britney Spears or Obama, catching Twitter’s CEO or Lance Armstrong at a local fundraiser or a social event is certainly a possibility. Several “mini-celebrities” do broadcast on Twitter where they will be presenting next day for example, and I don’t think I would have access to several such events otherwise.

- On a similar note, I sometimes discover many events on Twitter that I do not otherwise. Sure there are several other ways of discovering events in your city, but Twitter is just an additional and a fun way.

- I can get weather updates, up to minute NBA playoffs score, and sales deals in several ways using Twitter – default being a very non intrusive one. Yes, I could have subscribed to news feeds, but I find it much simpler to follow a Twitter account that updates me on NBA scores.

- Twitter provides real-time search of what’s being discussed on Twitter world-wide! Yes, the search is actually real-time, unlike Google’s that can take days to index new web pages.

- Using the real-search APIs and leveraging the “Twitterverse”, several third party developers are writings software to monitor brands. For example an analytics software written on top of Twitter could tell you how your brand is being perceived by micro-blogging (Twitter) community – this can be specially useful if you are, let’s say, holding a week-long conference and want to monitor what users and potential customers are saying about the event and different brands or products that are important to you.

- There are several other third party applications developed on top of Twitter. One of my favorites is Tweetname, which makes it super easy to register a domain. Do check out their demo video.

It needs to be defensible because of technology patents or a long-term investment by one party that would make it hard for anyone to compete.

Here I tend to agree with Jason Pontin. It is generally difficult to protect most web 2.0 products just based on their technology. However, what is hard to copy is the momentum and relationships that the company has in place. For example, Kayak.com, has built strong relationships with airline and travel community over the last few years – and even if their technology can be relatively easily copied – these relationships and partnerships are extremely hard to reproduce for a new entrant.

And it isn’t even profitable.

Twitter realizes this is important and they recently hired someone to help them just do that. It (making money) is going to be hard but it is doable. I will write about it in another article.

I am not totally dismissing all criticism of micro-blogging, and I think that Twitter might get consumed by Google at some point. I’m rather making the point that it as easy to dismiss “hyped” technologies as is to tout them. I would also encourage you to read this excellent article on why many first-time Twitter users don’t get it.

Disclaimer: I am a Twitter fan.