Something amazing happened on Twitter that really highlighted how unique the service is. It also showed how many product holes remain. Then, Satya Nadella does what needed to be done. That doesn’t make it any less impressive.
Curation and Algorithms
More and more companies are announcing new products based on human curation, even as the most important content players — Google and Facebook — rely on algorithms. When does curation make sense, and when are algorithms better? And ultimately, who is responsible for both?
Twitter Lightning, Twitter’s Communication Problem, Buzzfeed’s New News App
Word is out about Lightning, a new Twitter feature that lets people dip in and out of current events. It’s a great move. The question, though, is why talk about it now? The timing highlights a big communication problem. Also, BuzzFeed News’ new app, and the importance of notifications to its future monetization.
Dick Costolo Out as Twitter CEO, Costolo’s Key Shortcoming, Twitter’s Next CEO
Dick Costolo is out as Twitter’s CEO, a shocking but unsurprising outcome. This update examines why he had to go, as well as why this week’s Twitter product announcements expose the biggest shortcoming of his tenure. Finally, I examine the necessary qualities for Twitter’s next CEO and who might make sense.
Google Launching Buy Button, Instagram’s E-Commerce Possibilities, Pinterest’s Challenges
This daily update analyzes the news that Google will launch a buy button for some mobile searches, and in that context moves to a discussion of e-commerce on Instagram and Pinterest.
Verizon-AOL, Facebook Instant Articles, and the Future of Digital Advertising
Two seemingly unrelated stores — Verizon buying AOL. and Facebook offering publishers the option of Instant Articles — are actually very much connected: advertising online is undergoing a fundamental shift, and while there will be a few big winners, there will be a lot more losers.
Twitter Needs New Leadership
Yesterday Twitter released very disappointing quarterly results, with misses on both user and revenue growth. From the Wall Street Journal: Twitter Inc. delivered its weakest quarterly revenue growth as a publicly traded company, casting a shadow on its fledgling advertising business, which until now has been a consistent bright spot. Investors, who sent the company’s […]
Daily Update: Facebook Earnings, Google Launches Project Fi
Good morning, Earnings season is here, plus a big(?) announcement from Google. On to the update: Facebook Earnings Facebook had another good quarter, and the stock is up…oh wait, just like last quarter the stock is down after-hours. Last quarter’s slide didn’t make sense at the time, and quickly reversed itself: as of yesterday’s closingSubscribe […]
Twitter and What Might Have Been
Twitter’s blog is generally a cheery place, with one big exception from 2012: the innocuously named Changes Coming in Version 1.1 of the Twitter API, and in particular, the section called “Changes to the Developer Rules of the Road” that attempted to put the kibosh on 3rd-party Twitter clients:1 If you are building a Twitter […]
Daily Update: Facebook’s Messenger Announcement, Other F8 Announcements, Apps Matter (and Facebook Knows It)
Good morning, More Facebook today, but in a decidedly different arena – developers. On to the update: Facebook’s Messenger Announcement From Bloomberg: Facebook Inc. is opening up its Messenger chat application so that other software developers can add new features that will let people include photos, videos and other enhancements to their online conversations. TheSubscribe […]