Making a Twitter-like service profitable is difficult. To attempt it, you need (1) Network effects (2) Infrastructure competency I think Facebook can provide

Making a Twitter-like service profitable is difficult. To attempt it, you need (1) Network effects (2) Infrastructure competency I think Facebook can provide these faster at a higher level than anyone else who is attempting it. For profit, things that would help include: (1) No need for profitability (2) Profit synergies with an existing business Again, Facebook is a strong competitor here. They can start at #1 and integrate to achieve #2 To get people to switch from Twitter to your service it helps to have: (1) Brand recognition (2) Also be a social network (3) A marketing budget However, I think getting people to switch is the hardest part for any network; it's affected by many factors. There is also the consideration of getting them to switch, stay, and not be pulled away by a future competitor.