As you may have heard, Twitter bought Tweetie, an iPhone app for Twitter. It’s a great app. Our favorite. On a recent Tweetie upgrade, one of the improvements listed was “a surprise.” Well, the surprise is an ad promoting the fact Tweetie will be Twitter For iPhone.
The promotion takes the form on an on-screen ad that appears when the page is pulled down to reload new tweets. The first time the ad appears, slot machine wheels appear and spin along with the message “play again.” The second time the ad appears, a banner hangs for a few seconds with the message, “Coming Soon! Tweetie will be Twitter For iPhone. (Look for the next app update)”
Apart from the initial annoyance and what-the-fuckness of having a tweetstream attacked by an overlay ad, the ad format isn’t a bad one. It’s not overly annoying and, as a benefit to the advertiser, is front and center in terms of its ability to command attention.
Let’s face it. Twitter will need revenue to stay afloat. And there’s only two sources: advertising and subscription. Want the app for free? You’re gonna see some ads. Want the app without ads? Pony up a subscription/purchase fee…which we hope will be an option. Already, many apps offer ad-supported as well as paid. Either way, Twitter will make money. Because all this feel-good social media crap isn’t going to make them a dime.
