Jul
15
Written by:
Page Sands
7/15/2008 4:33 AM
(Part One of a series)
One of the things that I like do when analyzing a Web service is looking at its architecture. Not so much how the engineers have designed the databases or chose a programming framework, but the architecture of the published information.
For example, I know that blogs are unique in how they organize content. Posts are published in reverse chronological order and sorted by categories. Readers can leave comments and trackbacks signal that someone else found the post interesting enough to write about it.
Now take Twitter. Its very different. Its designed to let people know what you are doing. The service limits posts to 140 characters and followers can receive tweets on their computer or mobile phone. The social networking features allow for your tweets to appear on your follower's screens or cell phones. It's how the service was built.
I'm aware of a handful of companies that are using Twitter. They each have a network of fans (followers) who have essentially opted into their universe of digital messages. It sounds like a marketers dream come true.
If you approach Twitter as an optin network made up of fans, then the application of the service shifts. It no longer answers the question "what am I doing" but instead places the focus on the fans. This approach makes Twitter more of the "what information can I provide to make your group better" service. All in 140 characters.
Now that's interesting.
There are no open rates, however. No reports or Google tracking scripts. No conversions or related metrics. But the business case for Twitter in not a hard one to make.
In the next post, I'll design a few scenarios where companies can apply twitter to communities that have formed around their business. If you have any suggestions, drop me a comment or send an email.
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