Thanks, Ryan! I'm looking forward to Thursday's discussion. I think that as 3rd party Twitter developers, we think of ourselves existing somewhere in the highest bracket of "engaged users." Whether it's a valid concern remains to be proven, but a lot of folks (myself included) are now wondering if "maximize benefit to users" is inclusive of us too. Is it inclusive of developers? Is it inclusive of our existing users? Is it inclusive of the user base we're trying to grow?
I hope it is. Twitter's developer-centric nature is what got me excited about supporting the platform in the first place. We all have a joint interest in creating the best possible end-user experience. What I'd love to see from Twitter is an open commitment to supporting 3rd party developers in their attempts at achieving this goal. I'm less concerned about Twitter creating or purchasing applications with the same functionality as my own. What I do worry about, however, is if Twitter's applications will have access to private APIs or exclusive features that prevent 3rd-party developers from creating a competitive or superior experience. I also wonder whether the goal is to improve access to data services like the search and stream APIs (scalability permitting) to a larger audience, or if the plan is to continue to develop exclusive partnerships that have premier access. I could be wrong, but an ongoing commitment to open-data and non- exclusive APIs should lead to the best applications and the most diverse Twitter ecosystem--an ecosystem that allows users to decide, by their use of both official and 3rd-party products, where maximized value lies. See you all at Chirp! @jmstriegel -- To unsubscribe, reply using "remove me" as the subject.
