Twitter, in it’s relatively short life, has exploded to just about every demographic, social group, region, and corner of not only the Internet, but the real world as well. The article addresses the point that “traditional” media pundits downplay the importance of Twitter because it shatters the notion of real-time communication gathering around the TV/radio listening to Walter Cronkite “sign off”, and the author aptly counters by suggesting that tweets facilitate a more direct conversation.
Moving on, the author suggests that a more fundamental shift in product usage is taking place. New products and apps—namely Twitter—are built around a new approach that the author dubs “End-User Innovation”. Twitter is, by all accounts, being used in a way that it’s founders not only did not, but could not, see coming. It’s users are taking what’s been put out there and tailoring it to their own needs. It’s a fundamentally different approach from other social media offerings, but it gives a direct line to what matters online: users.
I think this opens up an interesting notion for those of us who design online experiences: how can we utilize this user feedback to create more engaging online products and offerings? Twitter’s sheer size of its user base acts as a built-in catalyst for this mode of End-User Innovation, but what do smaller online shops need to tap into for this dynamic insight?