I’ve previously written about Twitter’s behavior towards its third-party developers and the risks they’re taking if they focus only on developing Twitter-based tools (See Twitter Commits Suicide and Twipocalypse Now). The bottom line is that building a business that is entirely dependent on a single partner isn’t a safe model to follow.

Surprise, Surprise?

So, should Twitter’s actions come as any surprise?

Yes! And, No.

Yes, because Twitter was built on the backs of tens of thousands of third-party developers who added much need functionality and played a key role making Twitter what it is today. These third-party developers, along with the broader Twitter community, were the ones who implemented hash tags, RTs, @ replies and many of the features that Twitter now takes for granted. Even Evan Williams, one of Twitter’s co-Founders, admitted as much at the 2009 TED Conference. See the embedded video below (thanks to Tac Anderson reminding me about this in his post Twitter Grows Up Figures Out Its Business Model And Doesn’t Need You Anymore).

And, No, because there has been ample warning about the risk of developing for Twitter – just read my posts mentioned above, and I certainly was not alone. Also, in their announcement, Twitter stated that enterprise tools such as Seesmic and HootSuite and special-purpose apps are welcome.

So, why is Twitter doing this?

For some insight, consider the following:

• Usage: While Twitter claims that 90% of users are using official Twitter apps, the blog Mashable disagrees claiming that only 58% of Twitter users access the service through official Twitter apps. That leaves a whopping 42% who never see the Twitter home page or those Twitter apps. This means that 42% of Twitter’s users may never see any of the various advertising features that Twitter has been counting on to actually justify its valuation.
• Money: Investors have poured $360 Million into the company over the past 5 years and it’s easy to understand why they might want an out. While these investors certainly could find eager buyers for their shares, they want to maximize their returns. That means pumping up the valuation of the company and finding an appropriate buyer who can afford it.

Buyer Beware

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many adequate suitors for the company, especially when it has a rumored price tag of $8-10 Billion. In order to justify that valuation Twitter needs to do the following:

• Work the kinks out of its advertising model so it can maximize ad revenue. To do this, Twitter needs to…
• Increase the number of people who use Twitter properties, thus maximizing exposure to those ads. To do this, Twitter needs to…
• Get those users to stop using third-party apps and “come home.” To do this it needs to…
• Kick those third-party apps out of the loop. This ultimately means putting an end to the Twitter ecosystem. To do this, Twitter needs to…
• Prevent third-party app developers from getting into the game and making conditions for those who are already there too difficult for them to operate, thus they’ll be forced to close down. To do this, Twitter needs to…
• Add more features to its properties. Something it’s already been doing.

My Prediction

I could go on, but to me the path is clear; within the next 12-24 months, as Twitter slowly improves its mobile apps and website, it will eventually cut off ALL third-party apps including TweetDeck and Seesmic. Then, once its numbers (traffic and review) demonstrate clear upward momentum, it will be sold to the highest bidder. Perhaps after that, Twitter’s new owners will remember the goldmine of innovation that Twitter’s third-party developers provided the company and invite them to return

One can only hope.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Neal Wiser is Vice President of Digital Strategy and Operations at The ODM Group where he leads teams in the creation and execution of digital marketing campaigns. You can follow Neal on Twitter (his handle is @NealWiser). Neal is also the Cofounder and Co-host of the Addicted to Social Media podcast.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Twitter’s Black Friday Signals an Exit Strategy

If you searched through the App Store lately you should have noticed that there is a diverse selection of Twitter clients to choose from. That is no wonder, as the App Store now holds over 13,000 applications. Twitter clients come with different flavours and philosophies. To declare any one as the king of the iPhone twittersphere would be to presumptuous. Nevertheless, in the list below you might find the perfect tool for your Twitter needs. Here is every list item under 140 characters for better readability for us tweeples.

• Twittelator – (Free) Good groups concept for viewing different timelines. Twittelator Pro (4,99) with many more features.
• Summizer – (2,99) Advanced search capabilities. Configure search terms and then get the results in the future with just one tap.
• Tweetie – (2,99) Huge feature set. Recommended by John Gruber from Daring Fireball fame.
• Twitterrific – (Free) Ads on top of the timeline. Twitterrific Premium (7,99) with even more features. Very nice user interface.
• Tweetsville – (3,99) Has also a good feature set. Supports TwitPic.
• Twittervision – (Free) Impressive world view. Tweets get displayed on a world map. Double tap on a tweet to translate it into your language.
• NatsuLion – (Free) Clear design with separate views for different timelines (user, sent and unread). Uses accelerometer to hide tab bar.
• Tweeter – (Free) The most minimalist Twitter client. Post tweets and that’s it. Source code available.
• TwitterFon – (Free) Developer asks for a donation. TwitterFon is licensed under GPLv2. You can download source code from an svn repository.
• Twinkle – (Free) One of the most popular Twitter clients.
• iTweets – (0,99) There are free clients which offer more features, but if you need just the basic features this might be for you.

There are also some hybrid applications, which do have built-in Twitter support. If you are using other social networks along with Twitter you might be interested in these two:

• Nambu – (4,99) Supports Twitter, Identi.ca, Ping.fm and FriendFeed.
• Ziibii – (Free) Blends Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and your favorite web content.

Because there are many different flavours of Twitter clients in the App Store, you alone can decide which one best suits your needs. However, I consider some features essential for every tweeter:

• Compose tweets, direct messages, retweets and follow-ups.
• Compose tweets with photos and URLs.
• View public timelines, users’ timelines and, location based timelines.
• Visit links provided in tweets from within the application.
• Explore the twittersphere with location based and date based searches.
• View profiles and follow other tweeters.

To be honest with you, I haven’t attained the goal I had when I started this article. Actually I wanted to find the perfect Twitter client for you and present you with the reason why it is the best one. I haven’t found the best Twitter client. What I have found, though, is an awesome collection of tools which address different needs. Have I found the perfect Twitter client for my needs? Yes, I have, it is in the list above.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Find the Best Twitter iPhone Client for Your Needs