Apple Push Notifications: the ultimate Twitter-friend test

Now that we know what’s taken Apple so long to roll out its Push Notification Service (PNS), we can begin to look forward to all the new functionality  it will bring to the iPhone.  One of the most disruptive features that the PNS will enable is the ability to be notified of Twitter updates directly through iPhone’s standard notifications – all courtesy of iPhone Twitter apps such as Tweetie, TwitterFon, Twinkle, or all the other Twitter clients available in the App Store (iTunes links).  What does this mean for iPhone-using Twitterrers?  It means that Twitter updates delivered via SMS/text message are a thing of the past.  It also means instant Twitter updates.  And herein lies the rub.

Given that Twitter users follow more than a handful of other Twitter users, it would seem problematic to receive all the updates of different Twitterrers at the same time – especially if the Tweets are in the form of an iPhone notification – it would be like getting 20-30 text messages at the same time.  In fact, it can very quickly lead to information overload – which in itself can cause headaches, screams for desperation, and the much-feared technology addiction so many of us try to avoid.  In either case, instant push notifications to the iPhone will cause a big shift in Twitter usage – leading users to carefully select which Twitter users’ updates they would like to be notified of on their phone instantaneously.  And from then on, the usage scenarios will get very interesting and – dare I say – new: whose Tweets will I pick as a Twitter user to be delivered to me at any time?  Why will I pick that particualar Twitter user?  What is that perfect Tweet-to-notification balance for a Twitter to be on my instant-notification list?

What’s so colossal here?  It’s not immediately apparent – but its the fact that Twitter users will now carefully pick whose updates are actually important enough to interrupt them throughout the day via an iPhone pop-up notification.  In that regard, I can see only a few Twitterrers per user being on this super-important “instant update” list and these users will have higher levels of interaction with those who get their updates.  The opportunities for companies and organizations to market real-time (such as last-minute promotions) is greatly increased as well.

What do you think?  Will the ability to get instant push notifications of Twitter updates to your iPhone change your following habits?  Will you follow only certain people or will you allow only the updates of a few be pushed to you and thus give them the ability to interrupt you in whatever you’re doing?  Talk to me in the comments.

PS: the ability to receive push notifications via the Apple Push Notification Service will save money for the user (no SMS charges to worry about) and Twitter (same here – only for outgoing).  The carriers are the ones to suffer here.  I know this last piece brings tons of joy to some.

Posted in Microblogging, Social Networking, Twitter, iPhone

TNR Tip: bring back original TweetDeck icon – Windows Tutorial

Yesterday I published a link to a tutorial by our talented and adorable Lizette Gagné – in which she outlined (in text and in video/audio forms) the steps to change the TweetDeck logo back to its original “sans-yellow” form.  That tutorial was for the Mac and today we figured out how to change TweetDeck’s icons on the Windows platform.  So as promised, head on over to this post on Lizette’s blog and get rid of that yellow background for yourself!

On a side note – I’m starting to actually like the yellow background of the new logo.  On my Mac, I enabled the option to periodically change my desktop backgrounds; when the background is black, it makes the black bird icon difficult to see in the OS X Dock.  The yellow border makes it stand out and visible if the desktop background is black/dark.  Being visible… well, that’s always always a good thing, right?

Posted in Adobe AIR, Microblogging, TNR tip, Twitter

Monetizing Microblogging: customer service, marketing, and feedback mechanisms into the clear

Microblogging services like Twitter, Jaiku, and Pownce are gaining steam, popularity, and new users by the bucketful every day.  This article, however, is not about why I like to use these kinds of applications or how much I look forward to getting Twitter updates by person x.  No, this article is about the (as of yet unexplored) applications of microblogging services that could bring them into the black on the income statement.  What is this untapped use I write of?  Two words: customer service.   Read more »

Posted in Business, Cloud Computing, Decisions, Featured, Marketing, Microblogging, Monetization, Uncategorized