The first time I tried to message someone on Twitter, I spent a good 15 minutes crafting a couple thoughtful, intricately detailed paragraphs.  To my dismay, when I hit send, my painstakingly composed prose magically disappeared, for, as it turns out, Twitter messages are also subject to the 140 character limit.  Furthermore, because the user I was attempting to reply to wasn’t one of my followers, I wouldn’t have been able to respond anyway.  Twitgram, a new, Web-based service, eliminates the character cap in Twitter messages and enables you to message any other user, regardless of whether or not they’re following you.

Twitgram Takes Networking to The Next Level

If you know a person’s Twitter handle, you can reach him or her with a private Twitgram.  Using the @mention function, your Twitgram messages can also appear in a user’s Twitter stream, saving them the hassle of having to click open an extra e-mail, thereby making Twitter correspondence much more seamless.  Twitgram subtly bridges the gap between Twitter messages and traditional e-mails, providing users with the perfect means to communicate with users that they might not know formally enough to e-mail, but with whom they’d like to interact more seriously than Twitter currently allows.  Additionally, Twitgram stores correspondence in threads, enabling users to keep track of correspondence for future reference.  Users also have the option to upload attachments, such as portfolios, proposals, and resumes, as well as share photos, making it easier than ever to network with Twitter users who have similar interests and professional goals, but whom you might never have had the chance to connect with in person.   While LinkedIn does allow users to upload resumes, it’s more akin to a virtual rolodex than a social network.  Furthermore, LinkedIn prides itself on being insular and exclusive, as connections are largely limited to “trusted” former or current colleagues and classmates, and other individuals within those networks.  For freelancers, entrepreneurs, and individuals looking to break in to a new industry or find work in a new city, LinkedIn is largely useless.  Twitgram, however, endows Twitter users with the tools to network more inclusively and proactively on a global scale.

Could Twitgram Become Twitter’s Answer to Facebook Messenger?

Group and team messaging is also a feature, making it easy to make quick plans and bounce ideas off friends. Twitgram’s real time group chat function also makes it possible to coordinate with friends who aren’t on Facebook or brainstorm with acquaintances and potential colleagues that you’d like to connect with beyond a superficial level.  However, because Twitgram currently isn’t available as a mobile app, Facebook Messenger may still be the group messaging service of choice for smartphone users.  If you’re tied to your laptop, though, Twitgram may quickly become an irreplaceable tool.  As the summer of startups transitions into the autumn of acquisitions, could Twitgram get acquired by Twitter, and follow in the footsteps of Facebook and Beluga, and Skype and GroupMe?  With the recent news that Twitter has added image galleries to user profiles, they appear to be angling to leverage their appeal.  Could the integration of Twitgram’s extensive messaging functionality with Twitter’s mobile app finally make Twitter a formidable competitor to Facebook Messenger?

Conclusion

Because Twitgram synthesizes tweets, messages, chat, and traditional e-mail, it makes it possible to smoothly reach out to acquaintances and followers that you’d like to transform into friends and colleagues.   While Twitter may claim that brevity is the soul of wit, Twitgram might contend that verbosity is the heart of connectivity.