TwitPic founder launches Twitter clone

(CBS) - Twitter must have really ticked off TwitPic founder Noah Everett. He just launched a service that is exactly like the real-time communications site.

It's called Heello and it offers "pings" instead of "tweets," "echoes" instead of "retweets" and "listeners" instead of "followers." The service also has a built-in photo-sharing option like the one Twitter launched on Tuesday.

Why would anyone would try to launch a Twitter clone after so many others have faded into obscurity (we're looking at you, Jaiku)? A co-worker asked me, "What's their differentiator? How will they compete?" My answer: They don't have one. It's the same.

Leena Rao at TechCrunch asked, "Is Heello just one big F-you to Twitter?"

In an interview with Venture Beat Everett simply stated, "If Twitter can compete with its developers without fair notice, then why can't we?" He certainly has a point. When it comes to the competitive nature of web companies nothing is sacred.

Of course, to understand Everett's frustration, you must look toward TwitPic. The service has been offering a deeply-integrated photo-sharing service for Twitter since 2008. Developers had long assumed that Twitter would never integrate their own service. They were wrong.

At the end of the day, Twitter is doing what's best for Twitter. And Everett is exercising his right to compete.