"Retweet Redesign" or "Why Twitter May Not Be So Lame"
I know I've had my beef with Twitter in the past, and like many of you, I've struggled with balancing the (disproportionate, IMO) hype the site has received with the real utility it offers its users. I think at the core of my wariness surrounding Twitter is my sense of disappointment at how the (high profile) poster children for successful Web 2.0 companies ultimately dumb down the web to an early-AOL-like experience (yes, Zuckerberg, I'm looking at you). I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that Twitter is quickly becoming (has already become?) an integral part of the interwebs experience. And (somewhat surprisingly to me) I'm pretty okay with it. Hey, at least I haven't put up a web site at twitterislame.com! I think the main reason I've made peace with Twitter is the fact that they're doing a lot of things right. Especially from a product management perspective.
One thing I can point to that I really admire about Twitter is their vigilance in keeping the service very simple, their resistance to overloading the service with tacked on features (again, Zuckerberg, I'm looking your way) and ultimately Twitter's ability to allow users to shape the functionality of the service organically without feeling the need to add a new, full-blown feature to address every new use case. Some may argue that this has more to do with the Twtter guys being overwhelmed with addressing scalability and performance issues, but my reading between the lines leads me to believe this results from a conscious effort. This kind of discipline is admirable, especially in light of the massive amounts of media attention focused on the service. I'm a big proponent of the Fight Club philosophy to product management – force would-be features to stand on the porch for 3 days, occasionally berate them or whack them on the back with an old broom, and if they're still there after 3 days you might want to start to consider them.
A great example is the recent rethinking of how retweeting works (or will work once fully rolled out) on Twitter. Twitter founder and CEO, Evan Williams, recently posted his thoughts on this topic and reveals some interesting perspective on the evolution of this change. Those interested can check it out here: http://evhead.com/2009/11/why-retweet-works-way-it-does.html
