Twitter Launches Promoted Trends

Twitter users get ready –  Promoted Trends are coming to Twitter. In a global test of unspecified duration Twitter announces that in addition to Promoted tweets, they will unveil Promoted Trends. The next question is obvious. So here’s Twitter official FAQ on the subject.

Q. What are "Promoted Trends"?

A. Promoted Trends are a new advertising concept we began testing this week; they are an extension of our Promoted Tweets platform. With Promoted Trends, users will see time-, context- and event-sensitive trends promoted by our advertising partners. These Promoted Trends initially appear at the bottom of the Trending Topics list on Twitter and are clearly marked "Promoted." As conversations about the topic increase, Promoted Trends may move up the list.

While the brief write-up specifies that this is in testing, we expect to see more from Twitter as far as monetizing. Twitter has become unique unto itself in that it seems to actually respect its users unlike some other Social Media platforms we all know.

Persistent Promoted Tweets as Twitter calls them will appear at the top of the Promoted Trend. Already Twitter has made reference to filters that would keep the topic or trend clean from abuse. That means Twitter is watching for those who would compromise the site with unfavorable or abusive information – yes the s*** word.

We applaud Twitter for their consistent and respectful attitude towards their users and will continue to support their platform. Blackball Online Marketing offers Social media solutions in the form of Twitter Marketing to small business in the Pittsburgh area.

Twitter Monetizes - Finally

…or the Big Dog needs to eat if you want him to hunt.

…or feed the Big Dog if you want him to hunt.

Unless I just missed the memo why didn’t Twitter simply Tweet their intent to monetize and leverage the invaluable feedback they'd get from the very people who have incorporated a steady diet of  Tweeting in their daily professional and personal lives. Twitter could approach this in a number of ways while having a lot of fun with it. Twitter could Tweet surveys, ask for ideas, maybe even a contest for the best Twitter monetization idea, and simply asking what do you think - we’d love to hear from you.

Twitter would be asking input for one of their most important business decisions from the very people that make Twitter soar. The effect could prove to be very positive. Imagine the creativity from all that input.  There may not be enough bandwidth to hold the explosion of involvement. You could say this has the air of opportunity. If you want to engage and rally a community, here it is. And with such a radical and different approach to a corporate business move it just may create “pause” with those “other guys” and/or possibly raise the bar - if not change the bar’s direction.

I’m saying this because I’ve read some excerpts here and there that Twitter was fretting over their decision to monetize, to what degree only Twitter knows, but this is where Twitter turns the fretting into freedom by way of a dialog that simply says “we’re in business, we want to stay in business, and we’re pretty sure all you Tweeters want us to stay in business, so what do you think, how do you feel about this, and what are your ideas.” Twitter is a fantastic, intelligent and innovative product and with us in the SEO, Social Media and information business. We’re finding new ways everyday to use Twitter to help our clients do business better which makes the deal this - what took Twitter so long?

Twitter is a business, and this is America, so why would Twitter fret over this decision? First a little peek into their history tells us something. And what it tells us is this; Twitter began to help, to solve a problem, not so much to make money, and before you know it Twitter is a business, better yet, an “accidental empire.” With this in mind, maybe human nature is the reason for Twitter’s monetizing angst, based on the “fear of offending” which we all struggle with at times. But hell, what do I know, I’m just speculating. Only Twitter knows for sure.

I don’t think Twitter has a thing to fret about.

New Twitter Terms of Service Released

Effective: November 16, 2010

Twitter is undergoing major changes. Twitter has started promoted tweets and promoted trends. The firehose is now being regulated for developers. Finances have been secured to ensure that Twitter makes money. And the Terms of Service change more frequently than ever. This is a Public Service Announcement from your friends at Blackball Online Marketing  your Pittsburgh Internet Consulting Company reminding you to check the Twitter TOS regularly.

As evidenced by the original post copy below, we don't always get it spot on but we try to share with you the insights and news in the worlds of digital Marketing and Social Media.

Effective: September 10th, 2009

Everybody that uses Twitter should be aware that new terms of service were released. We at Blackball Online recommend that you read these terms. They lay out the rights, basic terms of service, privacy policy and much, much more. Pay special attention to the links on the right. New API rules have been set forth. Twitter actually has a rudimentary set of rules now. Make no mistake Twitter is on the move. Arm yourself with the knowledge they provide to glean what you can about where they are heading.

Twitter has been in negotiations to sell advertisements or the service as a whole for some time now as reported all over the net. This is no secret. These new terms are far reaching as compared to the old terms and it leads us to believe that the lawyers have gotten involved.

We believe that this is the first step to pave the way for the business to be taken over. Twitter is sure to be bought soon. In our opinion the need to monetize Twitter is more than the inventors can handle. It has become a smash hit and sure to be the prize of a larger more established company. Does Google ring a bell?

Read the complete Twitter Terms of Service - http://twitter.com/tos.