Twitter Goes Hollywood

Image via CrunchBase

Twitter, Hollywood Working on In-Stream Video Series

the possibility of launching several original video series via Twitter ..... the show could live on a standalone Twitter page similar to the events page that Twitter launched in partnership with Nascar in June, although the series’ page would more closely resemble a microsite in order to feature an expanded video player. Another possibility is that the series would be distributed within tweets—promoted, organic or pinned to a brand’s Twitter page—with users clicking to expand the tweet into a full-fledged video player. ..... With the potential series, Twitter is aiming to get big-budget advertisers on board, with sponsorship deals possibly running around $4 million. ..... theoretically user tweets would somehow influence the show as it airs

Old media does not go away. New media simply infiltrates that old media. And gives it a new life. This is interactivity taken to a whole new level. User tweets influencing the show as it airs is so Twitter.

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Twitter Is A Technology Company

SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 10: Jack Dorsey, creator of Twitter founder and CEO of Square, arrives for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have been invited to attend the conference which begins Tuesday. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Is Twitter a Media or Technology Company?

Twitter is some variation of both. “I think of the company is a technology company that is in the media business,” Mr. Costolo told a room full of editors and reporters. “Our business is an advertising business, we don’t sell technology.” .... the company does not have any reporters or a newsroom, and almost half of its 1,300 employees are engineers, focused on building the technology that runs Twitter and inventing new features for the service. .... “I don’t need to be or want to be in the content business.” ...... Twitter employees who work with celebrities, politicians, athletes and media outlets to hone the best use of the service. “We call them V.I.T.’s internally, Very Important Tweeters .... Costolo still sees the company as a communication platform above all else.

Twitter pours almost all its resources into engineering. And so it is a technology company. Twitter users produce content. True. But Twitter Inc. does not.

But that answer is true only when you ask to pick. If you don't bother asking if Twitter is a technology company or a media company, then you realize those demarcations are perhaps not that relevant. It is both. For Twitter Inc. it is a technology company. For the hundreds of millions of Twitter users it is a media company. It is a communication company. Twitter does many things that a telephone days, only better.

To ask if Twitter is a technology or a media company is a false question.

The Blind Men and the Elephant

Is Twitter a pillar?

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Twitter Tweet Sink

Image via CrunchBase

Twitter Is Working on a Way to Retrieve Your Old Tweets

Twitter gives users access only to the last few thousand posts made to the site.... “We’re working on a tool to let users export all of their tweets,” Mr. Costolo said ..... “You’ll be able to download a file of them.”

Costolo is not getting it, is he? Who wants to download those tweets? I just want to access them. Don't cut me off at a few thousand. They are my tweets after all.

Twitter fundamentally misunderstands real time. Real time is real time also the way it was when it was. In the past.

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I Got New Twitter Now

I am so excited. I think this means now the embed feature is live for me. Golley. I have waited so long for that embed feature. If I can embed YouTube videos, why can't I embed tweets? That has been my long standing question. Now answered.

Being Able To Embed Tweets Is A Revolution
Tweet Embed Option Needed
Dick Costolo Of Twitter
Twitter Integration Into Google's Search Plus
Google Should Get The Twitter Firehose
Twitter, France And Germany
Twitter Should Open Up Its API ---- To Google
Twitter Is Seeing Rebirth
Twitter Asks

Twitter Integration Into Google's Search Plus

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeDick Costolo in GigaOm: “Google crawls us at a rate of 1300 hits per second… They’ve indexed 3 billion of our pages,” Costolo said. “They have all the data they need.”

The Next Web: 2009: Total Tweets Tweeted Nearing 5 Billion

http://gigatweeter.com/counter: 29 Billion Tweets

Twitter Blog: Measuring Tweets

If there are 29 billion tweets out there and counting, and according to the Twitter CEO Google has indexed three billion of them, then obviously Google does not have access to all the tweets out there. There is some cooperation that is necessary. And so far it has not been forthcoming.

I speak for the consumer. If tweets are not included in Google's Search Plus Your World, that is not a good thing. I hope the two giants work things out.

Dick Costolo Of Twitter
Google Should Get The Twitter Firehose
Twitter, France And Germany
Twitter Should Open Up Its API ---- To Google

Dick Costolo Of Twitter

Pando Daily: The Real Story of How Dick Costolo Kicked Investors Off Twitter’s Board
VentureBeat: Twitter CEO Dick Costolo: 2012 is going to be the Twitter election
AllThingsD: Twitter CEO Says Board Changes “Not Some Ninja Move”
TechCrunch: Twitter’s Dick Costolo: “We’re Growing Faster Than We Have Ever Grown Before”
GigaOm: Twitter CEO: Google has all the data they need
Business Insider: We Just Heard A Rumor That Twitter Wants To Buy Tumblr, But Here's The Truth
AllThingsD: Costolo: Twitter Isn’t Looking to Censor Anyone

Twitter Is Seeing Rebirth

Being Able To Embed Tweets Is A Revolution

PlanCast's Facebook, Twitter, EventBrite, MeetUp Integrations

Image via CrunchBaseI have stayed on a lookout for Holiday parties and today I was looking around PlanCast and I just so happened by the Settings page. And I got impressed. This might not be a new thing, but it is new to me. Now my MeetUp RSVPs and EventBrite RSVPs and my Facebook Events automatically show up in my PlanCast timeline. I dig that. PlanCast is now going to be more useful to me.

The page now also lets me automatically follow my Twitter and Facebook friends who might also be on PlanCast, and when I saw that I was a little hesitant because I have lots of Twitter friends. But then I decided to go for it. Because if you are on Twitter, and if you either follow me or are followed by me, and if you are also signed up for PlanCast, that is a lot of filters. That is like saying if you are at a tech event and you come across someone who does not have a Twitter handle that person is probably not worth networking with.

And my connections on PlanCast ballooned by about 700 people right away. And that's okay. Now I might have more events to choose from. And it's nice to show up at some event and know that there are at least five people there you already know or can quickly know ("Hey, I think you follow me on Twitter!"). You are more likely to pounce on the 200 in the room you don't know that way.

Right now I almost feel about PlanCast the way I felt about Twitter when I first heard of the embed tweet option. Although it is fair to say the two are in two very different leagues. Like Dick Costolo once said of Eric Schmidt: "We are not on the same plane, and I mean in the Gulfstream sense."

But then my blog itself is not a bad place to look to find events: December Events.

Steve Jobs — 1955-2011

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeI just got back from an event near Times Square. I had some roadside momo - dumplings - with a ton of hot sauce. Usually I burn the midnight oil - it is a body clock thing. But today I was hoping to go to bed early and to wake up earlier than usual to work out some - I do freehand.

I guess I decided to log into my computer just as I gulped the last dumpling, and there was a Google Talk message from a friend out in the MidWest, someone I have yet to meet, a doctor from my hometown in Nepal. A few weeks back he mailed me a book he has written - Enduring Everest - about enduring ethnic prejudice as a Madhesi in Nepal.

"Steve Jobs died," the message said. It was not a new message. His status said he was idle.

My first reaction was disbelief. I expected the guy to retire, not to die. I felt sad. No, I did not see this coming. I was expecting him to stick around for years. This guy truly, truly stands out among the tech titans of my lifetime. It is going to take me days to digest the news.

Walt Mosberg: The Steve Jobs I Knew
Larry Page
Mark Zuckerberg
Bill Gates
The White House: President Obama on the Passing of Steve Jobs: "He changed the way each of us sees the world."
Dick Costolo

Why Jack Dorsey Invented Twitter

I think Jack Dorsey invented Tumblr, sorry Twitter, is because so he could claim and hog the Twitter handle Jack. When you are on Twitter it feels like Jack Dorsey is the only Jack in the world.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There is Hugh Jackman. There is Jack Nicholson.

Twitter Trouble?

Twitter At Five: Not Spitting Out Well

Fortune: Trouble @Twitter: There's no shortage of drama at Twitter these days: Besides the CEO shuffles, there are secret board meetings, executive power struggles, a plethora of coaches and consultants, and disgruntled founders. (Like Williams. The day after Dorsey announced his return to the company -- via tweet, naturally -- Williams quit his day-to-day duties at the company, although he remains a board member and Twitter's largest shareholder, with an estimated 30% to 35% stake.) These theatrics, which go well beyond the usual angst at a new venture, have contributed to a growing perception that innovation has stalled and management is in turmoil at one of Silicon Valley's most promising startups, which some 20 million active users rely on each month for updates on everything from subway delays to election results -- and which a growing number of companies, big and small, seek to use to market themselves and track customers. ...... It has been months -- an eternity in Silicon Valley -- since the company rolled out a new product that excited consumers. ...... Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg used to watch developments at Twitter obsessively; now he pays much less attention to the rival service. ...... Twitter doesn't lack talented engineers, potential paying customers, or loyal users -- and it certainly has plenty of money in the bank ..... The problem is a board and top executive team that don't always appear to have control of its wide-ranging cast of characters, including founders who have attained near-celebrity status (another co-founder, Biz Stone, is a regular on NPR, and earlier this year Dorsey was profiled in Vanity Fair), headstrong and divisive managers, and investors used to getting their way. ....... in the first half of 2009, Twitter added more users more quickly than almost any web service in history ...... the company tells Fortune that in coming months Twitter will roll out new features and ad products ...... "Twitter could be 10 or even 100 times bigger. I'm hopeful for that," says Reid Hoffman ....... "But it's not a given. It's never a given." ...... Twitter hates being lumped in with Facebook as a social network, but comparing the two companies helps illustrate why Twitter finds itself stuck in neutral. ...... Zuckerberg .... although he still dabbles in writing code, he spends his time refining the product and strategy. He's been criticized for being ruthless, ambitious, and single-minded in his quest to build Facebook -- a common knock on the few founders who stay atop their companies. (Exhibit A: Bill Gates.) ...... Unsure of what they'd created, the founders basically turned Twitter over to its users -- initially a bunch of techie early adopters -- and watched what they did with it. The result was a bit of anarchy ...... By the end of 2008 the board decided that Dorsey, a taciturn engineer with no previous management experience, was no longer the right CEO. Williams, who succeeded him, has been accused of pushing Dorsey out, but in an exclusive interview for this story, he put the responsibility for making that decision on the broader board: "We thought about recruiting somebody from the outside," he says, "but the company at that stage was so fragile that bringing in someone from outside was risky. So the VCs asked me if I would do it." ....... By that time, communication among the Twitter founders, especially Dorsey and Williams, had started to fray. According to Greg Kidd, an early investor, Dorsey today is circumspect but firm on the subject of his relationship with Williams. "The most he's ever said about Ev is, 'We don't talk.'" ........ Williams, a reserved Nebraskan ...... Having dabbled in improvisational theater early in his adulthood, Costolo inspires confidence with his refined public speaking ability, quick wit, and fast decision-making skills. ...... Williams left in December for vacation, extended it to January, then through March. On March 29, the day after Dorsey returned as product chief, Williams announced he wouldn't return to the company in a management role. ...... growth of U.S. visitors to the site has leveled off more than a year after its massive spike upward in 2009 ...... international traffic to the site jumped 83% in the past year ...... the 20-month plateau has come so early in the company's trajectory ....... Many believe that Twitter's search results, which increasingly show up on other sites, are its real jewels. For anyone striving to see events as they unfold, there are few better places to turn. ...... the company lacks a coherent philosophy about what it wants to deliver to customers in the first place. ...... Three days after Dorsey's March 28 return to daily duty at Twitter, the company killed the Dickbar. ...... three people close to Square say Dorsey told them that he views his involvement with Twitter as short term. ...... "The act of getting from there to here was violent," he says. "We've had a revolving door of senior leaders who leave." ...... if Dorsey is right and managing a startup is indeed like managing a theatrical company, it probably is a good idea to give the performers and stagehands a little love. That way maybe they can #gettheiracttogether.

I did offer my services but Twitter would not listen.

Making Dick Costolo An Offer He Can't Refuse

Jack Dorsey Returning To Twitter

Image via WikipediaI put out this blog post - Twitter At Five: Not Spitting Out Well - and the following day news was that Jack Dorsey was going back to Twitter in a major way. I felt vindicated.

I have a thing for the Founder CEO. (Larry Page At The Helm) Jack Dorsey is the Twitter Founder CEO. No, Biz Stone did not co-invent Twitter. Jack Dorsey getting booted out of Twitter is not exactly the same as Steve Jobs getting booted out of Apple in 1984, but it is in a similar vein. It is a DNA thing, it is delicate. Only the Founder CEO can pivot like a service like Twitter needs to pivot. Facebook has not had that problem. Zuck's being in the driving seat explains that. Facebook has pivoted relentlessly.

Jack Dorsey Also Has A FinTech StartUp

Image by Joi via FlickrGreat minds think alike. I have a FinTech startup. Jack Dorsey also has a FinTech startup. Square is a FinTech startup. But my FinTech startup is going to be bigger than Jack Dorsey's. I am giving Jack Dorsey five years to prove otherwise.

I am not making this up, but I thought of something like Twitter about six years before it actually showed up. I was thinking, there has to be a way for celebrities to interact directly with the fans. But I was not thinking 140 characters.

Chris, Come In At 50K

Fred, How About Some Money?
Future Of The Internet: Easy, Says Dixon
Hola Charlie, A 50K Opportunity
FinTech: I Am Loving The Term

Chris. I want you to come in at 50K. This offer does not come with a Board seat, obviously. But maybe Fred Wilson will keep a good watch over your money as well, don't you think?

You are my favorite Super Angel. You are right up there with Caterina Fake. I have been reading about Super Angels for months now. There is a part of me that wants to know what they are all about, and hence the offer.

Offer

Offer
Making Dick Costolo An Offer He Can't Refuse

Making Dick Costolo An Offer He Can't Refuse

The Telegraph: Twitter lacks ‘clear long term vision’ admits new CEO: I am currently trying to define what Twitter’s purpose is in the long term. .... Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and chairman, added that it was difficult to try and define Twitter’s function and purpose, as so many of its uses had been defined by its users over the past four years..... mindful of Twitter not losing its company culture, as it opens up offices around the world. ...... , similar to other US technology companies, such as Facebook, most of its international offices would be sales focused as opposed to having a product development division.

Vision happens at the DNA level. Founding CEOs who turbocharge - Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg come to mind - are few and far between. People say it is not the idea, it is the execution. But then big, unsexy companies execute all the time. Then people say, it is not the execution, it is the ideas. But then startups with great ideas flounder all the time. It is quite a chicken and egg situation, don't you think?

Executive Change At Twitter

New York Times: Why Twitter’s C.E.O. Demoted Himself: for all its astonishing growth, Twitter has succeeded in spite of itself ...... I’ve screwed up in many, many, many ways in terms of managing people and product decisions and business ..... he excels at understanding what Internet users want and contemplating Twitter’s future, but isn’t a detail-oriented task manager.

I don't know much about Dick Costolo, except that he sold FeedBurner to Google like Evan Williams sold Blogger to Google. To Ev's credit, Blogger remains my favorite social media platform, more so than Facebook and Twitter. It is that sentiment that gave me the confidence to speak my mind here: Twitter Is Massively Complex.