Twitter has finally admitted to a portion of its monetization plan with the introduction of “sponsored definitions.” [See screen capture] Their look and feel are quite similar to the sponsored results we’ve grown accustomed to from Google. (Could there be a future partnership involving Google handling the ad space while Twitter takes the cash?)
The first definition to appear as part of the sidebar redesign described Twitter as a noun and gave a brief definition. Soon other definitions followed. We Follow, Threadless, and Tweet My Gaming are among the links currently “defined” just below the number discussed so often on Twitter: The follower count.
Twitter is finally advertising.
Where do you think this is headed? Will text links in the sidebar attract enough attention to give Twitter any sort of substantial income? What about 3rd party users? (Most hardcore twitterers use systems like Tweetdeck, Seesmic Desktop, or any number of mobile applications.)
It seems unlikely that Twitter would create much revenue from just a few text links on the service’s web interface.
Perhaps this is the start of sponsored Tweets? I know I’d be willing to pay for my “stream” to run clear of ads. Would you?
Update: (10:25am EST, 6/24) Parisian Thierry de Baillon just pointed me to the Japanese language version of Twitter. According to Baillon, the image ad block was a part of the initial release!
You can see for yourself by visiting the account settings of your Twitter account and changing the language preference to Japanese. (Don’t worry about finding your way back to the English version. The layout is identical.
Does this change your initial thoughts on Twitter publishing ads in the sidebar? Once again, 3rd party system users won’t see these ads either. I think in-stream ads/premium services are the way to go. You?
