Twitter is now slipping ads directly into user "tweet streams," those personal "timelines" of mini-messages that have so captivated certain portions of the world population. On Monday, the company announced that it is now including "promoted tweets" – aka paid advertisements – in the timelines of those using HootSuite, a third …

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Tuesday 2nd November 2010 23:21 GMT Anonymous Coward

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 00:24 GMT Rob Haswell

Too far?

I've seen some pretty big backlash over promoted trends so far, but trends and suggested accounts are only small parts of Twitter. To pollute people's timelines seems a step too far, especially this early. What would you say if Adwords started appearing in between search results?

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 11:31 GMT adnim

Under the radar.

"Since their introduction, users have engaged with Promoted Products on Twitter at rates that far exceed typical forms of online advertising,"

I would guess that the average Twitter user hasn't realised they are being fed advertisements yet. Perhaps rates will drop when they cotton on, or someone tells them.

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 11:31 GMT Kurgan

Time to get off twitter

Maybe it's time to get off twitter. We all can live without it, you know? Me and my friends (even at large) have a mailing list that was born il 1995 and is still online. Sure, we use facebook and twitter, but our mailing list is still there, still used, and ready to be used if we need to ditch facebook or twitter.

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 11:31 GMT Dr Patrick J R Harkin

Isn't this just 140 character spam?

These promoted tweets will be meaningless to most readers. So no change there.

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 11:34 GMT Rogerborg

This is why they dropped basic authentication

So they can identify and cut off naughty clients that try to elide the ads. Free ride's over, twerps.

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 11:38 GMT Anonymous Coward

Why don't they put all the adverts into a single "twat stream"?

Oh yes - because no-one would look at it - people hate adverts.

I imagine the Firefox, Safari and Chrome ad-blockers are being updated even as I type.

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 13:56 GMT Atonnis

AHAHAH!

I find this funny. Finally the marketing/advert-pushing platform is now forcing it's way into peoples' own ego-messages. How long until the advertisers work out a way to make it look like their adverts are actually part of the posted message?

The only reason why marketing awareness has increased through Twitter is that people have been able to follow products that THEY ARE INTERESTED IN. Random marketing or encroaching on messages, especially when the adverts are likely to be incorrect interpretations of text in the messages, will just drive people away.

Advertising is just not going to continue being the big money-spinner in the world. Advertising can only do so much, and not-soon-enough more and more people will start getting like a few people I know - they avoid companies and products BECAUSE of their advertising.

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Wednesday 3rd November 2010 14:14 GMT The Other Steve

I'd say it was a generational thing

All the still not getting twitter amongst the commentards, but I'm old, so I guess it really is just a not getting it thing. If your twitter stream consists of 140 character ego turds, you're doing it wrong.

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