It’s not all bad

Dave Winer: “Bottom-line: Twitter is selling their channel to advertisers. They need to prove to them that they have control of how their messages will be seen. I don’t think any of what they’re doing is stupid or evil or misguided. However, it might not work. It might not turn out to be the big value in what they’ve built at Twitter. But it certainly is one theory.

The good news is that as Twitter focuses, and pulls back, and makes their product smaller — this will create space for new things to blossom and possibly flourish. So it’s a good time to be thinking about and doing new things.”

Emphasis is mine. I like this take on it. It’s not evil or misguided, but it will ultimately hurt many businesses. I’d imagine the free lunch is over for third parties, but there is always hope in something new.

Tapbots Blog [Paul Haddad]: “Thereâ€ s been a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt generated by Twitterâ€ s latest announcement. I wanted to let everyone know that the world isnâ€ t ending, Tweetbot for Mac is coming out soon, Tweetbot for iOS isnâ€ t going anywhere. So sit down, grab a towel and letâ€ s go over some of these API changes.”

As Twitter has evolved it’s become more of a place for movie stars and corporations to sale their wares. That’s ok. The good news is we have a lot of power. We can choose to tap, or click, the Unfollow button for people, or companies, that start to annoy us. If things get too darned annoying in the new model people will leave, and that should send a clear message. In the end Twitter has to make money or it will cease to exist, which is a definite possibility.

There are already alternatives blooming, as Dave likes to say, so buckle up and hold on. It’s going to be an interesting ride.