Firstly, I want to start by saying….I hope this is not the beginning of the end! I, for one, love Twitter and hope it is here to stay. However, it is hard to ignore the ongoing share drops, negative news coverage and acquisition rumours. As the mainstream press reported Twitter’s share price down 38% since Jack Dorsey returned and 4 of its top executives leaving in an ‘exodus’ like fashion – it seems that Twitter’s turmoil is far from over.
The internet is plagued with rumours about Twitter’s fate: will Google (or someone else) buy it? It is in steady decline, and how or will it ever escape the ‘fresh hell’ it finds itself in?
Source: RoundPeg
Twitter is also making decisions, on a seemingly daily basis, about how to change and improve their business to deal with their decline: changing ‘favourites’ to ‘likes’ to be more like Facebook, removing ads from some celeb and top user accounts, talks of removing the 140 character limit and, most recently, employing AmEx exec Leslie Berland as their CMO. There are even rumours that they are thinking about creating a ‘paid for’ version.
Given the range of resources, rumours and speculation available, I have taken a slightly different angle for this post. I don’t believe Twitter is on the right track with its changes to make it more like Facebook and, instead, feel that they should stick to what they are good at. I decided to put it to a straw poll and see why some of my colleagues said they loved Twitter:
“I find that Twitter is the most effective way of knowing what the world is thinking, and gives me a channel to vent my thoughts, frustrations or excitement without the fear of judgement that comes with Facebook.”
“I love how real-time Twitter is for getting news about the industry.”
“I love Twitter as it’s full of interesting curated content all in one place, it saves the need to trawl the internet as others have done it for you”
“I used to love discovering and chatting with users who shared similar interests. People and conversations were what made Twitter enjoyable. That’s definitely decreased over the past couple of years.”
“I love Twitter because it makes catching up on the latest industry news super easy.”
“Twitter allows me to dip in and out of chatter – from #BBCQT to my favourite brands – as well as keep on top of industry trends.”
“I’m a particular fan of the visceral nature of the platform. People speak from the heart.”
“I used to like being able to see people talking about the things I am interested in instead of just ‘top tweets’ i.e. moments – I miss being able to see lists properly and getting involved in conversations with absolutely anyone – this just seems distant now. I want to get involved not just observe.”
Take note Twitter – there are some great opinions here from people who know, use and love the platform. Do what you do well and strengthen the proposition accordingly. Have faith…build it and they will come!
Hey James, I have to agree that it is the ‘heartbeat’ of social media. I love how open and honest the platform is and the accessibility to APIs and direct opinions straight from the ‘horses mouth’. I love the platform and sincerely hope that it does not disappear or change beyond recognition. However, there is no doubt that the state of the site is under threat.
Whilst numbers of regular active users and new joiners feel to be down, it still retains a loyal fanbase and still remains the No1 ‘go-to’ source for up-to-date news for media and public sentiment. It’s the pulse of the world. No other network has this open platform for sharing our views. For this reason it will evolve and survive. I only exist on Twitter!