Posterous acquired by Twitter

The blogging and social sharing platform Posterous has been acquired by Twitter. This is another indication of the joining of dots between social media platforms, bringing more functionality to users and, in this instance, offering Twitter an additional strength by providing easy access to a mechanism for sharing photos, long form writing and more, which 140 characters cannot.

There are many blogging platforms - the best known are Google's Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, and Posterous. Blogs have gone from being simple online diaries or web logs to now being difficult to tell apart from a website, and often offering advantages over such because of the evolution from social media roots.

Many companies have discovered the usefulness of blogs for engaging with website visitors, sharing information, and posting images and, as blogs have adapted rapidly to social media developments, so companies have been able to co-ordinate social media strategies and efficiencies, such as being able to post directly to a blog from a mobile or smartphone.

Whilst some may see Twitter's acquisition of Posterous as a step towards commercialisation (the company has an avid, enthusiastic and supportive community behind the platform), it is likely that this is a shrewd move by Twitter to extend its use beyond short form. Although Posterous is not the most popular blogging platform, the opening for Twitter is obvious.

The amalgamation of Twitter with a blog can benefit any social media strategy for small and large companies, and is proving to be essential in this socmed world, as well as a presence on social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Posterous has made it very simple for sharing of images, which is one area where many companies still seem to be missing the opportunities presented. Images and videos are not only eye-catching but can be used to simply display information, and the rise of infographics is testament to that. By sharing images across multiple social media properties, it is possible to reach a diverse audience and this may well be one of the key reasons for Twitter's acquisition of Posterous as well as the rise of Pinterest in recent months.