As adoption of any Technology occurs, the creators scramble (sometimes chaotically, sometimes in an agile fashion) to "make it scale." That means that there have to be refinements to the version that more and more people are growing to love. At some point, changes need to be made, because the way the "original" version may not have been built with 100 Million users in mind. So, it's a natural cycle, that more and more of us are getting comfortable with. It's the cost of being an early adopter.
So the dilemma, specifically in the case of the "Original" Twitter (I'm speaking strictly in terms of Twitter.com as a web application, mainly it's User Interface (UI) design and the overall User Experience (UX)), what about those folks who happen to prefer the [now] old way of using this cutting-edge technology? It's common with any product, be it software or cupcakes. What usually changes as a technology evolves, in this case, Twitter, is that fewer and fewer people make up the pool of users/customers who cling to the original way of interacting with Twitter.
It's an obvious part of a cycle you'll see in any product's lifespan. What I'm particularly interested in though, are those things that "weren't broke." What about the simplicity and esthetic things that were perfectly fine, if not superior to the latest offering? Once people get involved, the product naturally evolves, I get that, but has anyone bothered to quantify the absolute absurdity of what gets pitched out?
Full disclosure, I have absolutely no particular insight or connection to Twitter other than being someone who struggles separating the business value from the sheer chaos of inane chatter. Turns out it's very possible; in fact, you can even use it quite effectively in small business, without any kind of credentials. And that's a blessing and a curse. Who's not claiming to be a Social Media expert at this point? As with any true Professional service, there are some winners and some real losers. Check the type of work they claim to have done. Don't assume that you're hiring someone who is going to love it as much or make the same kinds of decisions you would make. Which leads us to the other extreme, micro-management and over-controlling projects, but that's another can of worms.
In a nutshell, I'd love to hear your thoughts on:
a) Quantifying the value of all of the projects we've worked on over the years that have been thrown away at some point.
b) Do you think there's enough interest in the Old Twitter, to keep it around? Every time I log in now, It threatens that it will change "very soon." :(
Feel free to leave your comments below...
