I bet Google acquires Twitter

Yes, I know there are already tons of posts about Twitter on the net but this is not a post about how fast micro-blogging is moving forward and how number 140 is already part of many of us as the limit among limits. I was also tempted by comparing Plurk and Twitter and say something like that they are well established in the micro-blogging space following diverting paradigms and attracting quite different people.

Any of prior options will give me the chance to come up with a sensible and orthodox post but I would not go for any of those, in fact, I am going to take a risk today, I am going to bet for Google bidding for Twitter within this year 2008 and, in a last and probably inefficient effort, tell you why I think so.

Twitter is like Google is some aspects:
- Twitter remains at a simple interface: it is top-down, not very friendly and no ads are shown at any point of the application.
- Twitter is addictive: it is not that you use it sometimes, if you use it, you use it a lot.
- Twitter uses indirect marketing rather than the direct one: no banners, no ads, ..., nothing, you will not find any marketing reference to Twitter on the net. However, its extremely fast growth rate as well as its reliability problems have made the job for them.
- Twitter is user driven: it is true that mobile access was disabled for some time but in spite of frequent availability problems, no restrictions regarding number of twitts, following or followers have been advised to users.

Google can enhance Twitter in some other key aspects:
- Twitter is not monetarized as their business model is not settled yet. To me, it makes sense that they go for a "sponsored links" model using Google AdSense, just like in Gmail, based on the contents of the twitts you are reading, some offers are kindly shown to you.
- Twitter faces a very obvious reliability problem. Google with its tremendous computing power is in the best position to fix it and make Twitter a reliable and always-available application.

Twitter can complement Google:
- Google is not positioned in the social network space, however I don't see Google acquiring a facebook-like applications, I see Google acquiring Twitter.

Counter argument:
- Google Guys already went through all these ideas - you can take it for certain - and they haven't decided YET to go this direction.

Do you bet? No tricks, I said within THIS calendar year 2008.