• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire

First 4 moves Twitter must make post-IPO

By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 18, 2013, 5:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.
Jack Dorsey’s first sketch of Twitter.

FORTUNE — Seven years ago,  Jack Dorsey created Twitter, scribbling the concept for 140-character status updates on a notepad. Now, the social network is poised to go public, likely later this year, with an estimated valuation somewhere north of $10 billion.

As Facebook (FB) discovered when it debuted on the NASDAQ in May 2012, going public merely marks another chapter in the company’s history, albeit one where it is under more scrutiny than ever. The same goes for Twitter. Here what’s Dorsey’s brainchild, all grown-up, ought to do once it gets a ticker symbol (TWIT? TWTR?):

Actually, don’t break things. Until recently, Facebook’s philosophy abided by the Hacker Way and the philosophy, “Move fast and break things.” That suits a rapidly-growing startup just fine, but some would argue it behooves Facebook less in its current state. The mobile app and in-house Snapchat competitor Facebook Poke was reportedly developed in just 12 days and released in December 2012 but since first hitting #1 in Apple’s App Store on day one, it’s fallen off the radar completely. (When was the last time you opened up the app?) In comparison, Twitter has introduced new features and products at a slower rate. According to employees, that was purposeful, to allow more time to get things right before they rolled out. That’s resulted in fewer outright failures, says Brian Blau, Gartner Research’s Research Director.

MORE: Twitter’s IPO will not be done in secret

Offer a full-blown developer’s kit for businesses. While we won’t know the state of Twitter’s revenues for another few weeks, the social network is expected to earn $582 million in global ad revenue this year, according to eMarketer, $308 million of which will come from mobile. (For context, that’s a 123% jump on the mobile front compared with last year.) Twitter’s lifeblood is derived from third-party businesses advertising or building on top of the social network. The latter in particular remains a still largely untapped opportunity. In fact, Twitter should take a note from Facebook, when it acquired the cloud-based platform Parse this April, which offers services and tools for developers to quickly build apps for mobile platforms and devices. Blau suggests Twitter should follow a similar strategy and go one step further, by developing and creating a full suite of tools for interested developers. Getting more developers off the ground more quickly means more features for the end user, which in turn potentially boosts user engagement. Twitter could also charge for its tool suite, creating another revenue stream.

International expansion. Twitter already has a strong overseas user base, evidenced by major international events, like the Egyptian protests in 2011. That said, it still has a long way to go. The social network is fast approaching 300 million actively users, according to The New York Times, but that’s still roughly one-fourth of Facebook’s 1.2 billion-strong active membership.  And when it comes to ads, many of Twitter’s global users live in emerging markets where there’s very low-to-no ad dollar opportunities, argues eMarketer Vice President Clark Fredericksen. The company already has a sales presence in Japan, where Twitter is also popular, but many other developed companies remain untapped.

MORE: Remembrance of Twitter past

TV and movie integration. Earlier this week, AllThingsD reported that Twitter plans to roll out a revamped iOS app experience, one that ditches the four tabs at the bottom and emphasizes a more visual experience experience. The company is also reportedly tinkering with an in-app stream that focuses solely on TV-related tweets and discussions. Better integration of TV and movie content in the company’s mobile and desktop will prove important. “Having a major presence in a television, movies — clearly they’ve got that in music already — these are things I always thought they go after,” says Blau, who argues doing so fits Twitter’s strategy. After all, the social network has unofficially billed itself as the real-time resource for news and information. One example? Movie trailers viewable directly within a user’s stream.

About the Author
By JP Mangalindan
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University
AIEconomics
Nobel laureate economist warns AI jobs apocalypse fears could become a self-fulfilling prophesy
By Eva RoytburgJune 27, 2026
2 hours ago
dr
Commentarydisruption
The uncertainty paradox: believe it or not, today’s massive uncertainty creates the best conditions for disruptive growth
By James G. Naples, Wendy K. Smith and Scott D. AnthonyJune 27, 2026
3 hours ago
templet
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
This rural Maine factory made 100 million COVID swabs a month. Its CEO says manufacturing’s best days are ahead
By Timothy Templet and Virginia TempletJune 27, 2026
3 hours ago
The 30-year fixed mortgage was supposed to be predictable. Two costs quietly broke that promise
Real EstateHousing
The 30-year fixed mortgage was supposed to be predictable. Two costs quietly broke that promise
By Sydney LakeJune 27, 2026
3 hours ago
One in 10 Gen Zers want their boss to be replaced by AI—they’re already being polite to ChatGPT just in case
SuccessGen Z
One in 10 Gen Zers want their boss to be replaced by AI—they’re already being polite to ChatGPT just in case
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 27, 2026
3 hours ago
Photo of Elon Musk
C-SuiteElon Musk
‘Don’t look at the résumé’: Elon Musk admits he’s ‘fallen prey’ to flashy credentials and says conversation matters most when hiring
By Jacqueline MunisJune 27, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
2 days ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
3 days ago
Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
Economy
Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
By Nick LichtenbergJune 26, 2026
1 day ago
The bond market knows something about the $39 trillion national debt that Washington doesn’t
Economy
The bond market knows something about the $39 trillion national debt that Washington doesn’t
By Eva RoytburgJune 25, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 26, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 26, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 26, 2026
1 day ago
The richest 20% are the only ones powering the U.S. economy, says top economist, but their prospects are entirely reliant on teetering stock prices
Economy
The richest 20% are the only ones powering the U.S. economy, says top economist, but their prospects are entirely reliant on teetering stock prices
By Eleanor PringleJune 26, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.