Mashable has confirmed that Twitter is launching new features exclusively for businesses and that the company has sent invitations for certain organizations to start testing the "Twitter Business Center" while it's still in beta. Adding special business features is something Twitter has hinted at for a while now, but it's still unclear whether said users will be charged for these features.
And if there is a fee attached, it remains to be seen how many business users would be willing to pay.
So far, the new features seem basic. For starters, once a business activates its account, that account will become "verified." Up until this point, Twitter had only verified accounts for people -- not brands or organizations. If you recall, "Verified Accounts" came about shortly after rapper Kanye West had a meltdown about someone impersonating him on Twitter. While he was the most vocal, West was just one of many "big names" to have his identity successfully usurped on the site. For a while, many people also thought they were following the Dalai Lama.
In addition to getting a Verified Account, businesses will be able to add multiple users to their accounts via a feature called "Contributors" that Twitter started testing in December. This feature enables many people to Tweet from the same account, and to have their names show up to identify who the True Tweeter is.
Finally, businesses will have the option to accept Direct Messages from users they aren't following, something ordinary, lowly, non-business Tweeters cannot do.
And... at least based on the screen shots of the tools that Mashable has acquired... that's about it, kids.
Maybe it's just me, but so far this sounds un-enthralling and unlike something companies would or should be willing to pay for. And if these aren't going to be fee-based tools, then Twitter's Business Center will just be another missed revenue opportunity. (But, who cares? We have advertising now!)
Verified accounts are important; the ability to direct-message with a consumer is, I guess -- uh -- useful, although much more can be conveyed in an email. But so far, this set of tools seems lacking.
Further, it's unclear that Twitter's features will provide more than what's being offered by third-party platforms like coTweet, a platform for enterprise users, which offers the ability for businesses to manage multiple users, save conversations, and monitor searches for a company's name or products, among other things. At the moment, coTweet is free, but the site hints that there will be a fee in the future: "We'll give you plenty of notice before we start charging for the service, and the cost will be reasonable."
So far, Twitter's Alleged Business Center doesn't seem to have much to offer, but it's still in beta. As Twitter made clear recently, it has every intention of building features that have been handled by third-party platforms into its own architecture.
Whether Twitter can do this better than third-party developers, though, is the question. Based on what we know about these business tools so far, platforms like coTweet may have little to worry about.
(As of press time, Twitter and coTweet had both ignored my request for further comment. #Rude.)
I like how Steve Jobs responded to a blogger who has duly being critical of Apple in this email exchange:
"You are so misinformed. No one kicked in any doors. You’re believing a lot of erroneous blogger reports.Microsoft had (has) every right to enforce whatever rules for their platform they want. If people don’t like it, they can write for another platform, which some did. Or they can buy another platform, which some did.As for us, we’re just doing what we can to try and make (and preserve) the user experience we envision. You can disagree with us, but our motives are pure.By the way, what have you done that’s so great? Do you create anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their motivations?"
Re: "I think the bigger value of even small or duplicative enhancements by Twitter is going to be in the meta-data. If Twitter can extract meaning from the extraordinary volume of activity (and the more of it on their own platform the easier it will be), then they will be able to extract value -- cash-- as well."
Agree with you completely, modza. If Twitter can offer data that shows businesses' efforts here are paying off, I think that's what will be worth paying for. Otherwise, this extra stuff is nice but not a big deal.
I'm in-between on this one. I agree that it's great that Twitter is experimenting, but I also agree that most of these changes are minor and/or are already in use through 3rd party platforms. Now that I've got all my clients set up in Hootsuite (or coTweet or any of the others), I now have a switching barrier.
I do think the direct Tweet is a good and possibly important tool for companies. Right now Twitterers who have a complaint about a company expose it to everyone, but direct tweets open a new line of communication. Yes, email is better at length, but people are using Twitter, so use it!
I think the bigger value of even small or duplicative enhancements by Twitter is going to be in the meta-data. If Twitter can extract meaning from the extraordinary volume of activity (and the more of it on their own platform the easier it will be), then they will be able to extract value -- cash-- as well.
I like that Twitter is experimenting with different business model in order to see what the possibilties are for their product. Facebook and myspace and the other social communication sites have not changed since inception. Companies might be able to replicate with their own system (Sharepoint, Lotus Notes, Outlook) some of the features of Twitter, but they have a simple effective tool to offer and it is tried and tested and works and is accepted by the masses. I would not be suprised if Twitter-Biz hits it big. It is such a great idea for instant mass communcation and forces users to get to the point. I like it. And I think this will be a very successful venture.
My guess is that Twitter will offer these services for free to companies who will place advertisements on the site. By implementing new tools they want to make people think that they don't leave the future of the company in the hand of "outside" developpers. The truth is that there isn't much they can do that others are not already offering.
I agree. This is an unexciting service and I certainly will not be recommending to my business clients. Using the free aspect of Twitter is sufficient for businesses to generate the 'buzz'. If Twitter is looking for a revenue stream, this is not it.
Part of me believes of course Twitter will charge businesses for these value-add services, but as you rightly point out, Twitter's populous universe of developers can do the same job for free (or likely less). I suppose we'll see lots of conversions when a Twitter account is as important as the .com URL for your business -- I still don't think we're there yet.
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