Marketing Pilgrim

Lots of interesting buzz surrounding Twitter today.

First, there’s public confirmation that Facebook did indeed attempt to acquire Twitter, but the deal stumbled because it would have been based on Facebook’s valuation–something that no one can seem to agree on.

And apparently Twitter wasn’t bluffing. One of the company’s investors has revealed that Twitter could go it alone, now that it has a business model lined-up.

"We think it’s kind of funny to listen to people [in the press] talk about the lack of a business model," he said. "We know how we’re going to do it, and we’re very confident about how we’re going to do it, and it’s not necessarily in our interest to tell people how we’re going to do it. There is a biz model that has yet to be implemented. Of course, I can’t guarantee it’s going to work."

If you have it, and know how you’re going to implement it, why in the world haven’t you launched it yet? It’s not as if Twitter is tripping over piles of cash on the floor. Sure, it received a new influx of VC money, but that’s just to keep the lights on.

So, what could the new revenue model look like? The Register speculates that Twitter’s business model could revolve around partnerships with mobile operators and points to a recent Twitter blog post that appears to provide some substance to the theory:

One of the driving ideas behind Twitter is to extend the power of a real-time network to mobile devices everywhere through the simple technology of SMS.

Of course, you can’t blame Twitter for being ultra-cautious with its monetization plans. Just take a look at the backlash Facebook received when it rolled out Beacon. Still, I’m hoping that we’ll see an announcement sooner than later. Right now, the suspense is worse than waiting for this week’s episode of LOST!

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