Just when you've mastered Twitter, along comes Plurk to compete for your micro-messaging attention. Fortunately, Mack Collier of the Viral Garden blog has a quick primer to help you decide if it's worth adding to your social-media repertoire.

Be prepared to hate Plurk—at first. Not only does the site use odd graphics—headless animals, to be precise—it relies on a quirky user interface that might drive Twitter regulars crazy. But, notes Collier, "The people that keep using it anyway usually find that they like Plurk once they get a hang of the UI and functionality."

Plurk is like "happy hour" at Twitter. Twitter incorporates networking and professional gains into its fun; Plurk, meanwhile, is a 24/7 party. "[I]ts environment encourages adults to act like teens," he says. "This creates a very open and fun experience." But not one that's likely to bolster your bottom line.

Collier's cheat sheet for navigating Plurk includes tips like these:

• New messages (known as plurks, natch) appear on the left, and move rightward as newer plurks arrive.
• Mouse over a plurk to read it, and click on it to reply; conversations are helpfully organized beneath each plurk.
• If you continue to hate the Plurk interface, use the mobile version, which looks more like Twitter.

Plurk might be an acquired taste, but Marketing Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. "I think it's a great little micro-messaging site and a load of fun," says Collier. "Give it a few days and see what you think."

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