Posted by Ritu in Twitter is amazing and so am I, but being amazing doesn’t pay my bills and soon it won’t for Twitter either.
Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy twitter. Although the amount of time I spend tweeting isn’t that high, I enjoy being able to connect with others and sharing anything I find interesting. However, there was a time when most of my day was spent tweeting. Whether I was working on the computer or hanging out with friends at the bar, I had the tools needed to tweet (cell phone or computer) and I fully utilized them for my tweeting obsession. Lately though I find myself running away from twitter. Well, not exactly running away but I don’t see myself as engrossed in it as I was a couple months ago.
Twitter is an amazing platform. We all use twitter for different reasons. I have been using it to promote my articles and connect to existing and new friends as well. But twitter seems to be too lenient. At first there were no restriction when it came to number of followers you could follow. Then they put a cap at 2000 followers and now I think it’s 1000. Good move. However, anyone who has been on the web or using other social media sites knows how to get around these barriers. It is easy enough for anyone to figure out so I am not even going to delve into that aspect of gaming twitter.
My concern with one of my beloved platform is that it might be growing a little too fast. You say nothing wrong with growing? Well, I view things differently I guess, or may be I am just a little on the flip side of how everyone else thinks. Twitter’s amazing growth has created an environment where users have become slave to the numbers. It has become more of a number game rather than a communication or sharing tool. The true essence of social networking is diminishing day by day on twitter. Sometimes it feels like twitter might end up like MySpace.
Remember, when MySpace started it was the talk of town. Everyone had an account and most of us still do, the only difference is back then we were hooked and now we can’t even remember the username, let alone password. MySpace’s source of revenue is advertisements and Twitter, well we all know they have yet to figure a way to monetize the service. Although MySpace is sinking when it comes to popularity among us adults, it still seems to be a favorite among teens so the money for them will keep rolling in. Twitter on the other hand, it will be difficult for them to pull in revenue solely from advertising if they decide to do so. MySpace has many features and one of the reason many sponsors drool over it. Twitter, it’s just a text messaging system on the web.
I think twitter is headed the way MySpace headed when popularity soared in. The users are given free reign. Do what you want, when you want. Lately, I have been seeing increasing amount of porn tweets coming out. A twitpic comes up or a tinyurl and boom! there is an image that I am not comfortable looking at, especially when my wife is sitting right next to me while I am trying to explain how great twitter is. You can imagine her reaction.
Twitter is increasingly becoming a popularity contest. At first it was digg where most people wanted to top the charts and now it’s Twitter. I admit I had the urge to do the same. There were times when I checked my digg username on di66 or socialblade obsessively to see where I stood, now I really don’t care. I still participate and would like my submissions to hit the frontpage but if it doesn’t there are no tears of sorrow or dance of joy when one hits. Same with twitter. I have overcome the desire to be on top. Like I said I use it to promote what I write and share articles and connect with others, that’s it. Followers, following and number of updates are mere numbers and that’s about it, at least to me. May be I am wrong, but it’s one of those right kind of wrong, at least to me.
Anyways, I think twitter is headed to the dead pool. Sure it is one of the most popular platfrom on the web. Breaking news to who is taking a dump at the moment, twitter gives everyone a platform to express what they feel like expressing at the moment. 140 characters doesn’t seem to be a problem to anyone anymore. Well, so why do I think Twitter may join the dead pool? Well, it will keep running…may be forever, who knows. One thing for sure, companies can’t survive without money and funding will only last so long before everyone decides to back out. I mean it started in 2006, it’s 2009 now.
I feel like twitter is headed the MySpace way. It will be there couple years from now, it will still have couple million users but nothing to compete with other amazing platform that will come in near future, besides numbers. And numbers alone doesn’t cut it. And this is when even MySpace might be seen as something better than twitter. Cause twitter will still be around and so will MySpace and dozen others, the only difference : MySpace and others will still be making millions but twitter will be growing just in user numbers as usual. Well, that doesn’t cut it for a business to stay afloat.
end of rant
Feel free to rant and share your views on twitter.If you have anything in mind in regards to how twitter can make money, feel free to share with us.
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