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Is Twitter Going to Make It?

Sure, that seems like a preposterous question. Twitter has well over 5 million users and a rapidly growing family of more than 10,000 third party apps supporting it. And yet, the company has not articulated a coherent monetization strategy, its technology could easily be co-opted by other companies, and its developer community could outgun it.

Two colleagues and I recently attended the two day "140 | The Twitter Conference" event in Mountain View, California. Yes, it was highly stimulating. We learned a lot and came away with a fair number of ideas we can incorporate in our CRM product marketing initiatives. And we saw a lot of really cool ideas and invigorating entrepreneurialism. Incidentally, the operative term here is "saw." Two large monitors were ablazing with different apps throughout both days. Now...how these ideas convert to revenue is another story. The "if you like what you see, please donate via PayPal" approach seems earthy and neat, but I wouldn't want my mortgage payment to depend on that. However, don't take my word for it. Go here and enter in "#140tc" so you can see the chatter firsthand.

Ultimately, for me the most compelling and memorable words were those of Forrester's Jeremiah Owyang (in the picture above). He gave a speech that used the Groundswell approach as the basic construct. (Let me diverge for a second. If you haven't read Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, what the heck are you waiting for?).

But he also said the following, "Twitter doesn't matter. What matters is the Web, which is real time, mobile, and global." He then intimated that you'll see Twitter as a very successful stand-alone company, or as a feature in many different Websites, or it will dissipate altogether." He also helped "define" Twitter for many folks--e.g., it's a microblogging site, a CRM system (optimally for real-time customer support), a research and listening tool, a viral marketing tool, etc.

In summary, the buzz about Twitter can get annoying. Heck, I heard two guys at my gym this morning condescendingly dismiss it as a fad. But ultimately it's also quite fun to see where this Twitterverse is going. One final comment in this eclectic musing: Yes, I work at a "big brand" and big companies were frowned upon when they first glommed onto the Web in the mid-90s. And they seem to be getting dissed as they seek ways to harness the commercial potential of Twitter now. But from my biased perspective, these big guns are also bringing some order to the mayhem. They have to answer to several higher authorities (no, not like Hebrew National hot dogs!) given that they're public companies. This is in stark contrast to network level marketers, get rich quick hypesters, self-proclaimed motivational coaches, and even dog trainers...so many of whom are hyping their often questionable wares on Twitter.

[Editor's Note: This post also appears on my new, more professionally oriented blog.]

Them Folks at Yelp Are Nasty Nasty

Those dirty bastards at Yelp made some big-assed faux pas this morning, sending out a weekly newsletter with a rather crude headline (see below). Arguably the biggest "error" was their correction of it, which only attracted more attention to the original lapse in judgement. I say "arguably" because the ironic fact that this newsletter was sponsored by "SF Women Against Rape" must have royally pissed off that organization.

You know...I'm a rather crude dude, but I must admit I shook my head with a sneer when I first saw the message headline this morning, and didn't bother opening the email. In any event, the correction, sent out at 12;32 p.m Pacific time, read, "Due to an editorial oversight, an earlier version of the Weekly Yelp contained a headline that was inappropriate for the context. We apologize for the mistake." Aye caramba.

The Will of the People?

As frustrating as it may seem, it looks like "the will of the people" vis a vis Proposition 8 is here to stay for now. I voted against Proposition 8, but regardless of how much money was behind passing it, or where that money came from, it did indeed pass. So I think the decision made today was the right one. Bad proposition, bad outcome, but if we go about this business of overturning "the will of the people" through the courts, the results will be suboptimal.

That said, California is clearly mired in proposition-itis. Perhaps when we rewrite our state constitution, we can set more effective limits on how propositions are introduced and submitted to voters.

Want to Know What's Funny?

"My Cousin Vinny" may look dated, but it's a timeless classic. This scene, from 3:15 onwards, is a classic. The stuttering lawyer. Stupendous.

Is California 'Ungovernable?'

It certainly appears to be. The state is fighting for the victory prize of worst run in the country. Many would claim it has already won this award. As we go further and further into financial ruin and are asked every six to 12 months by legislators at the state and municipal levels to cough up more tax dollars to receive fewer and poorer quality services, one has to conclude that many things are very wrong. But all hope is not lost, as this excellent article from The Economist points out. I'd strongly suggest that if you live in California, you give this a read and consider supporting the cause of a brand new constitution. Thanks to Steve W. for pointing it out to me.

The Week In Review: What Does Facebook Think It Is?

Does it really think it's a microcosm of the Web, or is it a 'walled garden' community? If it really think it is the former, I'd question that judgment. If it rightfully considers itself to be the latter, I cannot see any rationale for its posture in the last several days. So what do I think Facebook is? Naive and misguided at best.

M-M-M-MiFi-Rona!

This is indeed cool.