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Posterous – the power of simplicity

by Rob Paterson

Here is a very special interview between Robert Scoble and the founders of Posterous. The interview I think highlights many issues that seem to escape most of us in North America and Europe as we think about the 2.0 world.

There are billions of people who are now connected but whose primary tools are handsets, texting and email.

These people are very poorly served by our western tool sets – computers, the web and social software.

While the uptake of Facebook is impressive at around 300 million – this is nothing compared to the universe who rely on the handset, text and email.

Like Twitter, Posterous is amazingly simple to use. It gets around many of the barriers for the hesitant. Billions know how to text or use email. Now they can have a place to share and show what interests them without having to learn anything new or to buy anything more.

I suspect that the Posterous guys have spotted something huge here. They have truly been thinking about the “underserved” Clay Christenson concept. They also know that it is best to start with “Good enough”.

But Posterous also helps the Western Hard Core Blogger.

As a long term blogger and user of the western tool set – my use of Posterous has transformed my own participation on the web. I find it sooooooooooo easy to use. In particular it enables me to aggregate the best material that I can find on my blog and to ensure that what I post gets the widest distribution.

Here I think is the nub.

Aggregation in focused areas -  mine would include the emergence of the network (local and global) in all sectors – such as in organization of all kinds, food, media and energy  – is where content value is enhanced. I have my own ideas but they are made better when I add related ideas of others – not just as links – but in large chunks – for after all I have a lot of real estate. You can see in a second whether you wish to read on or not. A set of links is more of a mystery ride.

I am finding that my blog has much more depth for very little added effort – my readership is up both in terms of views and time on the page. So others seem to agree.

The other part of the value is in giving me better distribution. With one simple action on Posterous – I not only post to my blog but to Twitter and to Facebook where I have overlapping but often different readers. As the social web becomes every more real time, I can throw a bigger rock into the river and cause more ripples.

These features I think can help those in media who are also seeking more focus on their web offerings and who seek a wider following. Posterous will enable hard pressed TV and Radio staff add more value and widen their reach.

Like Twitter, Posterous is deceptively simple. But also like Twitter, I think that we will see that this simplicity is key to its potential power.

Is this not a lesson for all adoption? To own a car in 1900 was to demand that you also had a mechanic. Over time, cars inside became ever more complex, but using them became ever more simple. The more simple, the cheaper, the more people adopted them.

Simple isn’t it!

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11 Tweets

12 Comments »

Steve EllwoodNovember 23rd, 2009 at 6:34 am

I like posterous; I like it a lot, and in fact pointed a domain (mini.steveellwood.com). For me, it was about trying to find somewhere to put stuff that was too long for a tweet, but too short for a blog post…

I *can* already blog via email – and since I twitterfeed blog updates to Twitter already, I don’t need to tweet a blog entry. I have to use Selective Twitter Status to stop everything from Twitter appearing in Facebook – different tools for different messages pehaps; I have been struggling with how to use social media tools for nigh on two years – and contiinue to vacillate about the best way.

Whichever way you choose, Posterous is an excellent addition to your armoury.

ffblogNovember 14th, 2009 at 9:22 am

New Post “” http://www.fastforwardblog.com/2009/11/14/4048/

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

robpatrobNovember 14th, 2009 at 9:29 am

The Power of Posterous – Simplicity http://twurl.nl/hlra3e

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

MoInColumbusOHNovember 14th, 2009 at 9:43 am

RT @robpatrob: The Power of Posterous – Simplicity http://twurl.nl/hlra3e

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

johnniemooreNovember 14th, 2009 at 9:47 am

RT @robpatrob: The Power of Posterous – Simplicity http://twurl.nl/hlra3e

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

SEOSpyNovember 14th, 2009 at 10:06 am

RT @ffblog: Posterous – the power of simplicity http://bit.ly/3FkQ8X

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

sabinepfeifferNovember 14th, 2009 at 10:17 am

Schöner Blogbeitrag über die Simplicity von #Posterous: http://tinyurl.com/yc7wq3r

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

hebsgaardNovember 14th, 2009 at 10:54 am

Posterous – the power of simplicity http://tinyurl.com/yc7wq3r

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

underutooNovember 14th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

The FASTForward Blog » Posterous – the power of simplicity … http://tinyurl.com/yh9zaot

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

SylvieLeBarsNovember 15th, 2009 at 2:49 am

Posterous – the power of simplicity: Enterprise 2.0 http://bit.ly/1ZkWyC (via feedly)

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

ConceptHubincNovember 15th, 2009 at 11:22 am

The FASTForward Blog » Posterous – the power of simplicity: Enterprise 2.0 Blog: News, Coverage, and Commentary http://bit.ly/1oBjU9

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

netocietyNovember 17th, 2009 at 1:34 pm

Posterous – the power of simplicity http://bit.ly/1DozDb

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

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