subject: Certified By Twitter [print this page] Twitter is taking a handful of digital tool developers under its wing. At the end of this past August the social network unveiled its first ever Certified Products program and the big 12 development partners that have already made its cut.
The Twitter Certified Products program functions similar to Facebooks Preferred Marketing Developer Program it encourages interactive developers to create products that assist brands to use Twitter as a tool, while ensuring that no copy cat concepts latch onto the original Twitter mother ship and mooch off its user base. These restrictions certify that developers offer an additional social media value for brands on Twitter, but ensure that no direct competitors emerge from the pack.
In order to ensure the sanctity of its platform, Twitter has even gone so far as to launch new API restrictions that limit third party developer products from accessing Twitters content once their user load exceeds 100,000 users. That is, of course, unless the API qualifies as a Twitter Certified Product partner.
Twitter has outlined three categories of user needs for which they will evaluate Certified Products program partners. To qualify, a product must fall into one or two of three categories:
1. Engagement These APIs help brands engage with their Twitter network fan base, deliver enhanced customer service and respond to important needs quickly.
2. Analytics These products allow brands to display and map data in a way that can be used to identify or isolate important trend information.
3. Data Resellers The category of products are those that package and deliver segments of data surrounding a business goal, event or project objective to brands, in order to chart out responses to tactic specific initiatives.
Qualifying for Twitters Certified Products seal of approval may simple at first, but theres more to the process than meets the eye. The Twitter evaluation team rigorously inspects each Certified Product before giving it the seal of approval. With its initial 12 approved products, Twitter even took a hand in specifying product specific restrictions and qualifications, causing some developers to re-evaluate and revamp their original product platform.
Twitter Certified Products may make things more difficult for struggling APIs looking for their shot at the big time, but they may also make life easier for corporate social media departments looking to capitalize on or demonstrate social medias business value. The Certified Products program pinpoints products that deliver real value to brands, albeit only on one social media platform. However with all of the social media analysis and interaction tools crowding the digital market, Twitters limited list of approved products comes as a Godsend for social media managers seeking to work with only the most useful and consistently performing tools available.
Take a look at the current list of Twitter Certified Products and ask yourself, which tools will provide the most useful guidance to your stakeholders, customers and thought leaders? And, if you havent started using any of the tools, make this the time to tweak your Twitter analytics toolbox.
