Comments on: twitter’s business model? http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/ apparently much happier in person Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:39:21 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Martin http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182249 Martin Fri, 23 May 2008 12:52:01 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182249 T-shirts, that's it. They're going to sell loads of Twitter T-shirts. You're right though - at the moment, what's Twitter? It's my network. If you guys all jumped to FriendFeed I'd leave to. That 'is it working?' scene resonated with me - I was watching the European Cup Final on Wednesday (http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/no_good_reason/2008/05/twitter-meltdown.html) and I like twittering while a game is on. But it was down, up for two seconds, down, up for a minute, down. It became a game in itself, like shooting through moving windows. T-shirts, that’s it. They’re going to sell loads of Twitter T-shirts.
You’re right though – at the moment, what’s Twitter? It’s my network. If you guys all jumped to FriendFeed I’d leave to.
That ‘is it working?’ scene resonated with me – I was watching the European Cup Final on Wednesday (http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/no_good_reason/2008/05/twitter-meltdown.html) and I like twittering while a game is on. But it was down, up for two seconds, down, up for a minute, down. It became a game in itself, like shooting through moving windows.

]]> By: AJ Cann http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182227 AJ Cann Fri, 23 May 2008 05:54:10 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182227 I agree that it's about numbers, not about celebrities. If the A list bloggers leave, it'll just help the bandwidth and it won't bother me at all. All I need to think about is what service my peers use. And if they get split across multiple sites (and although I don't really want to think about this, they will soon unless Twitter shapes up), what aggregator am I going to use to preserve my sanity? FriendFeed or something better? I agree that it’s about numbers, not about celebrities. If the A list bloggers leave, it’ll just help the bandwidth and it won’t bother me at all. All I need to think about is what service my peers use. And if they get split across multiple sites (and although I don’t really want to think about this, they will soon unless Twitter shapes up), what aggregator am I going to use to preserve my sanity? FriendFeed or something better?

]]> By: dnorman http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182222 dnorman Fri, 23 May 2008 00:29:44 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182222 I always figured a business plan would fit within one or more business models, but have never written either so also figured I was missing something :-) I always figured a business plan would fit within one or more business models, but have never written either so also figured I was missing something :-)

]]> By: Jason Priem http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182218 Jason Priem Thu, 22 May 2008 22:36:32 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182218 And, oh yeah: @Lloyd: Why the hatred of "business model?" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_model">According to Wikipedia,</a> <q>The term business model is used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions that are used by enterprises to represent various aspects of its business, including its purpose, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures, trading practices and operational processes and policies.</q> In this and and <a href="http://www.nciia.org/resource_folder/entreguides/gettingstarted/plan1.html">other</a> <a href="http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html">sources,</a> it seems to me that model is general idea of what the business does and how they make money; from that perspective I reckon D'Arcy used the term correctly. I'm not particularly knowledgeable in the realm of business, though, so feel free to steer me to better sources if I'm mistaken. And, oh yeah:
@Lloyd: Why the hatred of “business model?” According to Wikipedia, The term business model is used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions that are used by enterprises to represent various aspects of its business, including its purpose, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures, trading practices and operational processes and policies. In this and and other sources, it seems to me that model is general idea of what the business does and how they make money; from that perspective I reckon D’Arcy used the term correctly.

I’m not particularly knowledgeable in the realm of business, though, so feel free to steer me to better sources if I’m mistaken.

]]> By: dnorman http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182217 dnorman Thu, 22 May 2008 22:26:29 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182217 the whole point of Twitter is that it's not about the high profile people - it's about the rest of us waaaaay down the long tail. I don't follow any of the high profilers. I avoid scooby like the plague. Twitter might be better off without them. But the inertia problem persists... the whole point of Twitter is that it’s not about the high profile people – it’s about the rest of us waaaaay down the long tail. I don’t follow any of the high profilers. I avoid scooby like the plague. Twitter might be better off without them. But the inertia problem persists…

]]> By: Jason Priem http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182216 Jason Priem Thu, 22 May 2008 22:23:22 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182216 Looks like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect">network effect</a> rears its ugly head once again. That's the problem with services that build value from number of participants: it's hard to be successful, but when you are, you have a lot of inertia (I'm looking at you, <a href="https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1">Microsoft Windows</a>). George Siemens <a href="http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003372.html">posted recently </a>about how early tech adopters are investing their time and energy, hoping to get a return when the technology catches on a network effects start to snowball. The key, though, as AJ points out, is that this trying to predict what people are going to fancy is a pretty unstable business. With several high-profile departures from Twitter, we'll see if this snowball melts as fast as it grew. Looks like the network effect rears its ugly head once again. That’s the problem with services that build value from number of participants: it’s hard to be successful, but when you are, you have a lot of inertia (I’m looking at you, Microsoft Windows).

George Siemens posted recently about how early tech adopters are investing their time and energy, hoping to get a return when the technology catches on a network effects start to snowball. The key, though, as AJ points out, is that this trying to predict what people are going to fancy is a pretty unstable business. With several high-profile departures from Twitter, we’ll see if this snowball melts as fast as it grew.

]]> By: dnorman http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182205 dnorman Thu, 22 May 2008 15:27:51 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182205 @lloyd point taken. so... what's their business PLAN then? ;-) People are NOT going to pay for it. They'll rail against advertising. Unless they sell the content to Google or similar to help teach their search engines by mining the data, I'm not sure how anyone could "monetize" (another word I hate) the service. @AJ been there. done that... :-) @lloyd point taken. so… what’s their business PLAN then? ;-) People are NOT going to pay for it. They’ll rail against advertising. Unless they sell the content to Google or similar to help teach their search engines by mining the data, I’m not sure how anyone could “monetize” (another word I hate) the service.

@AJ been there. done that… :-)

]]> By: AJ Cann http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182203 AJ Cann Thu, 22 May 2008 11:12:17 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182203 What usually happens to bubbles? What usually happens to bubbles?

]]> By: Lloyd Budd http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182193 Lloyd Budd Thu, 22 May 2008 05:09:20 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182193 I'm militant against the abuse of the term business model. Companies have business plans not models ;-) Way back, I remembrer Ev saying that one source of income might be partnering with the mobile networks on getting a cut of rev. on SMS send to/thru twitter, but maybe that was just to offset the cost of sending the SMS messages into the mobile networks -- it sounded like a very real, very significant cost. I’m militant against the abuse of the term business model. Companies have business plans not models ;-)

Way back, I remembrer Ev saying that one source of income might be partnering with the mobile networks on getting a cut of rev. on SMS send to/thru twitter, but maybe that was just to offset the cost of sending the SMS messages into the mobile networks — it sounded like a very real, very significant cost.

]]> By: dnorman http://www.darcynorman.net/2008/05/21/twitters-business-model/#comment-182192 dnorman Thu, 22 May 2008 04:34:53 +0000 http://www.darcynorman.net/?p=1945#comment-182192 I think I'll have to fire up my Amiga and light up the old BBS server... I think I’ll have to fire up my Amiga and light up the old BBS server…

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