Dorsey has already made some improvements to the service whilst serving as interim CEO - including extending the 140 character count of direct messaging and pushing ecommerce with a new “Buy Now” button - but which other improvements need to be made? Here are ClickZ’s suggestions.
Jack’s back! The former CEO of Twitter and one of the founders of the social network is taking over once again, according to an announcement he made on Twitter:
We are naming @adambain COO of Twitter, we're working to change the composition of our Board, and I will serve as CEO of Twitter and Square!
— jack (@jack) October 5, 2015
Dorsey will continue as both the CEO of mobile payments company Square as well as Twitter, balancing his duties between both.
Dorsey steps in at a time when Twitter has more than 300 monthly active users and successful reach, but is failing to attract and retain new users who entice brands to advertise on the platform and drive Twitter’s revenue.
Dorsey has already made some improvements to the service while serving as interim CEO – including extending the 140 character count of direct messaging and pushing ecommerce with a new ‘Buy Now’ button – but which other improvements need to be made? Here are ClickZ’s suggestions:
Early this month, reports emerged that Twitter may be building a product that allows users to surpass its 140 character limit.
The speculation followed the addition of a ‘retweet with comment’ option implemented by Twitter in April, which gives users more room to comment on tweets they share, and the abandonment of the 140-character rule on private messages implemented back in June.
The platform has been criticised over the years for retaining its strict trademark character policy, and the issue – according to reports – has been discussed internally at Twitter as way to grow its user base. The question is whether or not a long-form option would actually increase Twitter’s audience. It’s an issue that’s up for debate.
According to Global Web Index, who this week published disappointing Twitter usage and visitation figures, believe changing the “limiting” 140 character length of tweets to longer posts “mean more information and more in-depth news coverage, and more opportunities to attract and ultimately monetize visitors.”
If the move comes into fruition, some have also suggested that customer service interaction will be improved – with less tweets, and deeper more complete conversations.
But let’s take a look at the less sunny side. Firstly, this is the age of tl;dr. People don’t want to read longform content from brands. Advertisers only have a few seconds to capture potential consumers’ attention.
Changing Twitter’s character limit would be a mistake. The service is used not to read longform content, but to easily and quickly digest information and news, and to point users towards longer content.
The 140 character rule forces users to be concise and explain their points clearly within this structure. Imagine the state of your Twitter feeds if everyone posted longer updates.
As a social network, it has a specific role to play and removing its structure means, well, it wouldn’t really be Twitter.
This is a general point, but an important one. Twitter doesn’t need to be Facebook. Facebook is a completely different service.
Yes Facebook has a billion users, but relentlessly focusing on growth and ignoring improving a unique product is a catastrophic mistake. Twitter should be careful not move too far away from its core product.
“If we build a product people love and value, advertisers and users will follow”, said Dorsey this summer.
Increased integration means increased engagement, so it’s about time the Facebook war ended. In 2012, Twitter blocked access to Facebook-owned Instagram, and in response photo sharing service removed its support for Twitter cards, meaning tweets have to click through to see posted pics. In the end, it’s proved to be detrimental to both services.
welcome to the jewel runner tour @fashawn @djfreshx3!!!! https://t.co/YaIq3ITs4D
— el-p (@therealelp) October 6, 2015
Twitter’s Mac app hasn’t been updated for years, and there is no official desktop app for windows. There’s TweetDeck, but this is a web app. A well designed app for Twitter’s power users conveys an important message: the service is up to date and ever evolving.
In June, Twitter removed wallpapers from user home pages, replacing them with white backgrounds. This was bad news for brands, who had been utilising the space as free advertising, conveying information to Twitter followers and promoting specific marketing campaigns.
