Social Network Singularity
This week Twitter started testing a new look for user profiles, featuring a large cover photo, a mosaic layout for tweets, enlarged tweets and more Facebook profile-like touches, according to Mashable. The look is no more than a test for Twitter at this point, so there is no guarantee of a full rollout. However, it's just one symptom of Twitter's larger ambition--to be more approachable to more people. It wants to be a platform for teenagers to adults. Or said another way, it wants to be like Facebook.
Eating Each Other's Lunch
It's interesting to see how Twitter and Facebook have evolved over the past year or two. Facebook introduced trending topics, user mentions in posts, hashtags and news. It's also become more aggressive in going after the growing social TV ad market. These are all areas Twitter rolled out first.
Twitter, on the other hand, has added features like cover photos and ad targeting akin to Facebook's. Now, after reporting that user growth has slowed down, Twitter aims to appease investors and make the platform more appealing to more people.
Facebook and Twitter want what the other has. Facebook is approachable and easy to understand. Twitter wants that to continue to grow its user base and please investors. Twitter is open and real-time. Facebook wants that to continue to flex its data muscles and bring in real-time ad dollars.
Copying Features Risks What Makes Them Great
Copying each other comes with the risk of alienating existing users and becoming special to no one. Twitter is really good for consuming news and information. Facebook is great at helping users maintain connections with people they otherwise wouldn't.
Facebook as a real-time news and information service makes it less about connecting with friends and family. Connecting with friends and family on Twitter means existing users use it less for real-time information and content consumption.
The real opportunity comes when they double down on what really makes their individual platforms special, not copying what makes the other unique. That's certainly the approach that will please investors the most in the short-term, but it does come with the potential to make the users who care today not care tomorrow. With more social network options on the scene all the time, users have a lot of options to choose from.