Twitter, the popular micro-blogging site that's been in search of a business model, looks like it's getting serious about finding one. In a job posting on JobScore, Twitter wrote this:
About this Job
As Twitter's first product manager
focused on revenue generation, you will play a defining role in the
formulation of Twitter's business. Your job will be to lead the
definition and execution of the products and features that will lead to
monetization of the Twitter platform.
Responsibilities
Define products and feature sets of commercial-oriented Twitter application
Manage the prioritization and development of new products and features
Work closely with engineering to develop product functionality
Work closely with customer support to solve issues and maximize user satisfaction
Do customer research to inform product decisions
Create detailed cost and revenue models
Define product positioning and marketing plans
Analyze and report product success
Earlier this year, I interviewed former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. We ran through a few business model ideas. Here's what I wrote in that post regarding business models.
So, what are Twitter's business models?
Obviously, there is a potential business model around paid search, one form of monetization that Jack and I discussed in this interview. In this interview, Jack talks about when this may be introduced. But we also talk about a number of models, including charging Whole Foods, JetBlue and others to use Twitter to capture market research about their customers. In the case of CNN and other news outlets using Twitter, it's very conceivable that Twitter will make money much like news wires make money - meaning licensing the data.
Jack also talks about
how Twitter makes money today - through SMS - and that even though his
team thought the mobile phone would be the predominant platform through
which updates are made, it's not. Finally, Jack talks about whether
Twitter will allow for video updates, much like Seesmic, and how he
sees the competitive landscape.
