[niklasni1]

This is the entire point. I wish communications happened over an open protocol instead of over Twitter's protocol, not because it benefits Twitter, but because it benefits me.

Email is open. For some reason people think of email as different. GMail could've provided the exact same conditions and experience when they launched, but only enabled GMail-GMail communications. It would never have got to where it is, never.

And there's obviously no technical reason instant messaging, social networking, etc., should work any different, but for some reason it's perceived as different.