Tuesday, May 13, 2008

How Might Twitter Make Money

This must be the topic du jour among technophiles.

I'm no expert here either, but here's what I think of possible Twitter revenue models based on my last few weeks of use.

First, I'd be open to the Tiered model as suggested by Aidan Henry over at Read Write Web. I'm not quite sure where my price point would be, however. $5.99 for the year sounds reasonable.

However, I don't get why Twitter isn't partnering with the major carriers to get a cut of the fees generated from its user base who upgrade their text messaging plans. We've seen a lot of talk recently about how text messages, as currently priced, are outrageously expensive. Twitter needs to get a piece of THAT action! I know that's why I upgraded to unlimited text messaging; the Lyric of the Day was just too cool to miss, and contributing is a blast as well. I would imagine these conversations have been had, or are being had, and went nowhere. If they haven't been had, then they should be.

Anyway, although this has nothing seriously to do with finance, it does have to do with tech, which is another passion of mine. Combine that with the fact that Twitter is (ostensibly) a business and that there is money on the line, and I think it fits in a tangential way with this blog. Until Twitter finds a way to monetize, it will simply be a really cool idea, not a must-have service. That difference will likely be due to how long it manages to survive. Someone will make money off of Twitter, but the question is "will it be Twitter that makes money off of Twitter?"

Anyway, if you're interested enough, you'll find me on Twitter here. Take a look. You might find something worthwhile (speaking as a techie who avoided Twitter for over a year!).

Until next time...

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