In case you’ve missed the hubbub on Twitter lately, the social media giant is considering a big change to how it delivers content to your computer and/or phone. (And if you missed the hubbub, it somewhat proves Twitter’s point to an extent.) Long story short, Twitter may start to look more and more like Facebook in the next year.
According to multiple reports and Twitter’s new CFO, the company may roll out an algorithm-based feed for content by 2015. What that means in plain English is that, instead of you getting all tweets from people you follow in reverse-chronological order, Twitter would begin to pick and choose which content you see in your stream at what time.
You know, like Facebook does.
The announcement has been met with much uproar, as you can imagine. The real time aspect of Twitter has become its calling card. This was nowhere more obvious than the past month or so, when Ferguson news dominated most users’ Twitter streams and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos were just about all you saw on Facebook.
So why make the change? Twitter CFO Anthony Noto said the current, reverse chronological delivery system of tweets isn’t the most relevant experience for users – especially those who don’t keep the app open at all times.
“Putting that content in front of the person at that moment in time is a way to organize that content better,” Noto said last week at the Citi Global Technology Conference.
So what does this mean for brands? Different marketing experts have differing opinions. My best bet? Get ready for the rise of promoted tweets. If Twitter goes to an algorithm-based system, it only makes sense to follow Facebook’s lead when it comes to brand content. You want eyeballs? You’re going to have to pay for it.
