This Friday Twitter launched #newnewTwitter with a pretty makeover. But, it wasn't just Twitter.com and Twitter mobile that experienced a facelift. Tweetdeck, the once small London-based startup turned Twitter entity has had a major overhaul.
A New, More Twitterized Tweetdeck
Image Source: agbeat.com
Iain Dodsworth, founder of the acquired Tweetdeck took the stage at the London Developer Teatime a couple of months ago, and explained a little about his journey as a third party developer who then got gobbled up by Twitter. He emphasized, more than once, that Tweetdeck has always been "all about Twitter", and that it's always been primarily a Twitter client, and that any other integrations were really just "bonus." He then went on to say that they are working on a new Tweetdeck with the folks at Twitter. When asked why they killed off Deck.ly, he replied that even though the team had worked hard on it, and believed it was a good addition, the fact is that Tweetdeck is a Twitter product now, and if parts of Tweetdeck need to be brought closer to the Twitter brand "that's not a bad thing."
No More Adobe Air
It made sense for Twitter to release #newtweetdeck along with the other changes. NewTweetdeck focuses almost entirely on Twitter, ditching all the other 3rd party integrations besides Facebook, and moving off Adobe Air completely in favor of Html5. Given Twitter's good relationship with Apple, and Apple's strained relationship with Adobe, this comes as no surprise.
Mixed Reviews
There have been high accolades for design, but mixed reviews from users. David Bayon of Pcpro.co.uk calls it "More Mainstream and less flexible." And I think David hits the nail on the head. NewTweetdeck is a fantastic Twitter tool for mainstream tweeters; mainstream volume Tweeters (aka "power users"). What it isn't, is a business tool.
Goodbye, And Thanks For All The Fish
The announcement about 6 months ago when Ryan Sarver said in a controversial post to developers "don't make more Twitter clients" finally makes more sense. Sarver knew Twitter had that covered. It also explains why, in the same controversial post, he pointed out that business apps and data analyzing is the direction developers should be going. Tweetdeck has stopped being a sandbox where multiple networks can play together. Goodbye Linkedin, Goodbye Foursquare, thanks for all the fish. (Read Douglas Adams if you're left scratching your head at that line.)
Simplicity In A Complex World
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey compared the redesign of all Twitter entities to rivals Facebook and Google+ saying, "We will offer simplicity in a world of complexity." Time will tell if the new redesign of Twitter is simpler than the Twitter of old that was 140 characters and not a lot else, but perhaps Jack has a point when comparing #newnewTwitter to Facebook and Google Plus.
Key Take Away
I have great respect for Tweetdeck. It's a great 'end-user' app for the consumer, for the Twitter power user who likes to watch what celebrities and news outlets are saying and engage regularly. But it is not a business tool. It never has been. It's always been about the Twitter power user, and #newtweetdeck proves this. Twitter is evolving. Social Media marketing is evolving. Of course I'd like each and every business reader of this post to give MarketMeSuite a try, but this goes beyond MarketMeSuite, Hootsuite, or any other business app out there. Twitter has made its target clear with Tweetdeck: the mainstream power user. One of the biggest challenges we face as developers is trying to predict and respond to the moves of the apps we integrate. This new level of clarity is going to bring tremendous innovation in the business sector. What do you think of the changes? I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can comment below or tweet me anytime @tammykfennell.