In just 10 short years the microblogging platform revolutionized how the world communicates by using just short 140-character snippets. Twitter became practically omnipresent in just 10 short years but it wasn’t a smooth ride. Twitter built a platform that’s useful for everyone – celebrities, politicians, marketers, designers and writers. Let’s take a look at some of Twitter’s key moments in history.
Twitter’s First Tweet
Jack Dorsey, the current Twitter CEO sent his first tweet on the 21th of March 2006, back when the company was simply known as “twittr”. Jack’s 2006 tweet started a snowball effect and soon enough twitter became one of the most popular social networks in the entire world, catering to people from all walks of life.
Twitter’s Logo Makeover
The Twitter bird is one of Twitter’s most iconic aspects. The simple yet expressive logo is immediately recognized and appreciated by users. That being said, the logo has changed a lot since 2006: Initially the bird used to be blue with a light-blue underbelly and a white patch instead of where the eye should be. The company then decided to make it look more cartoonish, giving the bird eyebrows and feet. Perhaps it was a bit too cartoonish because the company then decided that the feed should be removed and the birds colour should be changed as well. The next change saw the bird losing its eye and gaining a darker blue colour complete with its own little wing shape. Twitter’s current version is also the most minimal: a simple blue bird silhouette with no feet, eyes or hair.
Twitter goes public
Success can be measured in many things but success for a small tech company is definitely measured by going public on the NYSE. Twitter went public in 2013 and at the time it was the most hyped tech IPO since Facebook. Since then the company’s stock price went down dramatically and now it’s well under $26 a share – the initial IPO price. Only time will tell if Twitter’s CEO will be able to go back to their glory days.
Twitter’s Homepage Makeover
All tech companies undergo many design changes over the years – twitter is no different. Twitter’s current homepage features plenty of white space, card based design and a central column. Back in 2007 the homepage had an aquamarine border and a larger service description. By 2008 the homepage switched to landscape orientation and eliminated random user feed updates entirely. Between 2009 and 2011 the interface became more and more minimalized and forms became more highlighted.
Twitter’s future?
What will happen in the next 10 years of Twitter’s life? We don’t know. Most likely it won’t turn into another MySpace even though it’s currently struggling to make a profit and find its own identity in a market dominated by Facebook and Linkedin.
