Twitter May Buy TweetDeck
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The potential deal is part of the social media company's campaign to appeal to Twitter "power users."
TweetDeck is a customizable browser where Twitter users can tweet from one or multiple accounts, add columns for Twitter searches, and send updates to other social media outlets like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. The third party application is a favorite of many "power users."
UberMedia, an independent developer of Twitter apps, had previously been courting TweetDeck, offering $30 million for the browser.
The Business Insider discusses why Twitter would want to outbid UberMedia for TweetDeck:
As it has grown, its relationship with Twitter has reportedly deteriorated. (Twitter blocked UberMedia apps in February, claiming a violation of Twitter's terms of service.)
UberMedia is reportedly going to use its base of Twitter clients as a way to launch a Twitter-like service. If it owns TweetDeck, then UberMedia has an even strong base for its own Twitter-killer.
For that reason alone, Twitter would want to keep it away from UberMedia.
The move comes shortly after Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey returned to the company as its product development chief.
Twitter has been looking to widen its appeal to Internet users since the management shakeup.
Most people understand Twitter exists, but they don't understand what Twitter is and how they can participate," Jonathan Strauss, said Jonathan Strauss, chief executive of Awe.sm.
The Wall Street Journal has more on Twitter's campaign for more users:
The company this year will try to make the breadth of its content more visible to first-time visitors, helping them quickly discover information about stocks, sports and other organizations and individuals they care about, the people familiar with the matter said.
One possibility is showcasing tweets by well-known people or organizations located in the user's region, or from certain types of users, such as athletes or musicians.
Read all of The Wall Street Journal's article here.
