When I called Twitter out in my post of the top 10 failures of 2009 for “failing to innovate,” what I probably should have said was this: Twitter has done a decent job of implementing features that we first saw being used by third-party apps.
The concept of user lists? Sawhorse Media introduced those. Retweet functions? That was a user idea that had already been implemented formally by many mobile and desktop applications. And the hot Contributor API is something that CoTweet has been doing for a while. The geotagging API is hardly new, either. But instead of saying that Twitter failed to innovate, let’s instead name a few features we love from third-party apps that we think they should integrate themselves – maybe with a key acquisition or two.
Auto-completing Usernames
Third-Party Apps That Do This: Twitdroid, DestroyTwitter
It’s a rather simple feature, but it would make our lives a lot easier. When typing an @ reply or cc’ing a user, it helps to have a cheat sheet in the form of an auto-completion feature that remembers all your friends.
Multimedia Uploading And Embedding
Third-Party Apps That Do This: PowerTwitter, Twitpic
The convoluted process of uploading media to a third party and getting your content synced up to your Twitter account can be frustrating, especially when bugs arise. And not being able to preview images or videos before clicking through is a pressure point, as well.
Threaded Views for Conversations
Third-Party Apps That Do This: Twitdroid, TwiToaster
Being able to see what an @ reply is all about can turn into a trail of digital breadcrumbs 10 tabs long. Seeing a threaded conversation in a single click would be much more convenient.
Management And Analytics
Third-Party Apps That Do This: Bit.ly, TwitterCounter, Tweetmeme, DoesFollow, Twitter Karma
I’m obsessed, you’re obsessed, we’re all obsessed with follower counts! Not to mention click-throughs, reciprocity, retweets, and all the metrics that make up the statistical side of Internet fame. Real-time measurement of Twitter activity would be worth paying for.
Official Mobile And Desktop Applications
Third-Party Apps That Do This: Tweetdeck, Seesmic, Tweetie, Twitdroid, TwitterBerry
The single greatest opportunity for Twitter innovation (and yes, we’re resisting the very strong urge to make a portmanteau from those two words) is perhaps in the desktop and mobile app space. It’s one of the most clearly monetizable avenues for Twitter to pursue, and the “official” stamp of approval on an application would guarantee that app’s success. Moreover, there would probably be clear opportunities for an official app to come pre-loaded on laptops and mobile devices.
Clearly, there’s a universe of features for Twitter to choose from. From social gaming to DM schedule reminders, oneforty is like a catalog of what Twitter could – and perhaps should – be doing next.
What do you think – what Twitter features would you like to see launched in 2010? Give us your opinion in the comments.
