Recently Twitter announced an update on their program that allows users to directly access pictures/ videos from the tweet itself, eliminating the need to click on a link. Users will be able to automatically preview the images, making the timeline more visual and engaging. This was reported on New York Times technology page ‘Bits Blog’, as part of their daily report segment. The post discusses how this is all an attempt for Twitter to increase advertising revenue as they are paid based on the number of clicks on the ad showcased. By integrating both photo and video directly into the feed, it increases the likelihood of people actually viewing the advertisement, thus resulting in an increase in ad revenue.
With the company’s release of its IPO(initial public offering) rapidly approaching, even the slightest of adjustments made to their software will attract the attention of potential investors. Therefore Twitter is attempting to maximize the number of users before the IPO launches, strengthening the value of the company. They are currently focused on fostering growth in both ad revenue and popularity in order to make their stock more appealing.
This particular blog was especially useful in explaining how Twitter was lacking in innovation as posts were mostly text based. By showcasing the photo/video more prominently, Twitter is essentially replicating the recent upgrade Facebook had done in order to keep up with their number one competitor. Overall, the piece written offered me an insight into how a company’s actions alter as they approach the release date of their IPO. All in an attempt to make their stock seem most favorable in the eyes of investors.
Sources Used:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/technology/ahead-of-ipo-twitter-adds-photo-and-video-previews-to-timelines.html
