The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
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Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#2Nail on head for me:
". . . Twitter Platform primarily serves Twitter’s interests, in stark contrast to the era of API growth . . ."
and his rueful close in "I believe that Twitter as a medium is and should be distinct from Twitter as a business."
Twitter got to where they are based on open standards, dev empowerment, etc.
Thanks to their money in the bank and lack of need for a biz model they had ample time to own it, be the standard, become the medium - what is a Twitter exactly if not a Twitter?
Going to be very interesting to see where this next step takes them.
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#3It's an interesting question, one that Twitter is at the center of now but one that's not limited to Twitter: Where do we draw the line between a technology company and the culture its technology has spawned?
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#4very nice
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#5His comments on the difference between Twitter and Facebook are particularly interesting:
"Previously, developers took data out of Twitter and into the context of their own applications and services. The new design flips this on its head, bringing rich embedded content into the site from a host of brand-name web properties. (It’s worth noting that Facebook has done much the opposite: they started out with a very centralized build-it-within-our-walls model, then gradually grew their tendrils out into the web with Facebook Connect.)"
I'm curious how this relates to his later observation that "walled gardens" are doomed to fail. In both instances, the walls are being chipped away, but in the former, the content is being brought in, while in the latter, content is being let out.
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#6This is a nice piece, and makes some very good points.
Completely unrelated: I enjoy reading Alex's writing in the same way I enjoy reading John Gruber and Paul Graham. He's eloquent, thoughtful, and passionate.
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#7>Twitter needs to decentralize or it will die.
told ya so
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#8His comments on the difference between Twitter and Facebook are particularly interesting: "Previously, developers took data out of Twitter and into the context of their own applications and services. The new design flips this on its head, bringing rich embedded content into the site from a host of brand-name web properties. (It’s worth noting that Facebook has done much the opposite: they started out with a very cent…
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Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#9Well worth reading the whole thing. It’s not too long, and he’s already Readability’d it for us, if you will.
But if you don’t have time:
• #NewTwitter will make Twitter more mainstream, and will provide advertisement opportunities.
• #NewTwitter is a shift away from being a platform towards being a destination (or “place of consumption,” if you will), and as such further complicates relationships with third-party developers.
• Twitter should become decentralized, but it’s clearly in Twitter’s best interested not to.
• Alex circulated a document internally advocating decentralization, and executives disagreed (understandably).
Re: The Very Last Thing I’ll Write About Twitter
#10pretty classy post by a pretty key ex-employee. i wish all were like this.