The trending of #WhatsappTalks on Twitter might seem like just another Twitter trend. But, it also indicates the emergence of private networks such as WhatsApp and others like it crossing the active user base of more popular networks such as Twitter.
These social networks indicate the huge advertising potential available to marketers and the possibility of location based targeting. Another thing that makes these networks attractive is the fact that they have been built for mobile and not the web.
While each type of network has its distinct advantages and a WhatsApp may not be able to compete with Twitter, its potential and that of other private social networks is definitely as big as Twitter (if not less).
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| Relative size of various social networks in terms of number of active users |
WhatsApp recently claimed an active user base greater than Twitter. Selective disclosures by private networks puts WhatsApp on top of the list with an active user base of close to 300 Million (August, 2013)
While each type of network has its distinct advantages and a WhatsApp may not be able to compete with Twitter, its potential and that of other private social networks is definitely as big as Twitter (if not less).