---
title: 'CitySpeek looks to cram more content into 140 characters'
date: '2009-01-05T17:13:16-08:00'
type: post
word_count: 439
char_count: 3043
tokens: 571
categories:
  - CitySpeek
  - OAuth
  - Oregon
  - Portland
  - Twitter
tags:
  - '140 characters'
  - CitySpeek
  - OAuth
  - Portland
---

# CitySpeek looks to cram more content into 140 characters

[![CitySpeek](https://i0.wp.com/siliconflorist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/imgcityspeek.jpg?w=925)](http://cityspeek.com "CitySpeek")Looking to provide a little more content than you can wedge into a tweet? Portland-based [CitySpeek](http://cityspeek.com "CitySpeek")—a microblogging platform with a number of features beyond typing 140 characters—may be what you’re seeking.

Founded by members of the team that launched [Goboz](http://siliconflorist.com/2007/09/06/goboz-launches-digg-for-portland/ "Goboz launches Digg for Portland") in 2007, CitySpeek was designed to fill some gaps in functionality that larger microblogging (oxymoron intended) platforms don’t offer—or aren’t interested in offering.

[![Turoczy on CitySpeek](https://i0.wp.com/siliconflorist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/imgturoczycityspeek.jpg?w=925)](http://www.cityspeek.com/profile/turoczy "Turoczy on CitySpeek")

What sort of things? I’m glad you asked.

> First, on a grand scale the only similarity that CitySpeek shares with Twitter is the 140 character limit for messages (what we call ‘speeks’). CitySpeek offers many features that Twitter does not, including:
> 
> - Groups, both open and private
> - Integrated pics and video, no leaving the site to view
> - Speek by category like “Overheard”, “Question”, “For Sale”, etc.
> - Communicate with CitySpeek via IM
> - Seamless integration with Flickr

The service is also offering [Twitter](http://siliconflorist.com/2008/03/19/portlands-top-30-tech-twitter-ers-1-may-surprise-you/ "Portland's Top 30 tech Twitter-ers") crossposting—if you’re comfortable giving them your Twitter username and password.

\[*Editor*: No offense to CitySpeek, but this “give me your Twitter username and password”—although currently unavoidable for certain functionality—has always made me edgy. And [after today](http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/twitter_security_collapses_oba.php "Twitter security collapses"), it only make me moreso. However, it serves as yet another opportunity for me to wonder aloud “[When oh when will Twitter make good](http://www.louisgray.com/live/2009/01/twitters-oauth-target-slipping-amid.html "Twitter's OAuth target slipping from Louis Gray") on their [promises to support OAuth](http://twitter.com/al3x/status/981810659 "Al3x on Twitter supporting OAuth")?”\]

CitySpeek has [documented its API support](http://www.cityspeek.com/api_docs "CitySpeek API") and is said to have mobile support in production.

Long story short, with its group functionality, categories, and attachments, CitySpeek brings some interesting features to the social microblogging table. We’ll just have to wait and see if these additions—added to an otherwise simple format—attract users.

If you’d like to try the service for yourself, swing on by [CitySpeek](http://www.cityspeek.com "CitySpeek") and register for an account. If you’d like to “speek” to me, I’m [turoczy](http://www.cityspeek.com/profile/turoczy "turoczy on CitySpeek") on CitySpeek.