If Twitter plans an IPO in a year or two, the micro-blogging service must first answer criticisms that the company can’t grow beyond tech geeks and narcissists. It seems Twitter CEO Dick Costolo aims to do just that by making the service more useful.
On the to-do list is creating a presence around major live events to help users to understand all the message blasts, improving the ability of third parties to organize Twitter posts around small events, and making it easier for companies to build off Twitter just as developers make applications for Facebook or Apple.
However, these add-on services are required to be unique, not simply imitations of what Twitter already offers — a qualification that seems slightly enigmatic.
The updates could also threaten media partners like NBCUniversal, the Wall Street Journal suggests.
“Twitter’s goal of making sense of the tweet flood could put the company into more direct competition with media companies that also edit and prioritize news and information, and sell ads to people who come looking for the information,” notes the article.
However, Costolo downplays the potential competition, describing Twitter as a “technology company in the media business.”
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