In the world of publishing corporate-speak, when one product is folded into another product it’s usually the beginning of the end for that first product. Take the product out of its usual, high-visibility spot and dump it somewhere unnoticed, so when the plug is eventually pulled (another corporate cliché), the shock will be lessened.
It’s far from news that Twitter’s been struggling to become profitable. So when Moments, the curated update of trends and news, disappeared from our screens quicker than an attorney general, we thought the worst. Our mobile seemed naked without Moments in its prominent spot in the middle of Twitter's icon line. Was Twitter shelving this attempt to gain eyeballs after just 16 months? Had it become a case of Stolen Moments? We mourned.
A Jan. 26 post from Twitter explains the disappearance: Moments has been relocated (oh, no). “Very soon, you’ll be able to find trends, Moments, search, and the best of live video, all within the new Explore tab,” product designer Angela Lamb wrote. In fact, Lamb writes customer research is behind the move. To reassure us nervous types, she adds, “Nothing is going away—we’re just making it easier to find what you want.”
To calm our nerves further and find out what the relocation of Moments means for communicators, we asked Michael Lamp, SVP, social/digital media, Hunter Public Relations.
Lamp’s initial take was similar to ours. “Integrating Moments into the mobile Explore tab first seemed like a step toward product irrelevance—folding it into another feature,” he says.
He’s become sanguine, though. “What they’ve actually done is made it more accessible. Sure, Moments now exists in the same thread as up-to-the-minute trending topics, so there’s adjacency to the most relevant content being published at any given time. But what I think is most important is that the Explore tab also is where mobile users go to search on the platform. So any user who is searching for their next burger or reactions to the latest executive order also will be delivered to a page featuring today’s top Moments.” Good points.
Now what, if anything, does it mean for brand communicators? There are potential benefits for brands, Lamp believes. “[The move of Moments] adds even more earned value, and reach, to a branded Tweet—or a brand mention by an influencer—that’s included in one of these trending Moments,” Lamp adds.
But communicators note: “Brands still need to be thoughtful about which conversations they wade into on Twitter,” he counsels. “They can get themselves into hot water by authoring a tweet about a sensitive topic. So while Moments presents a great PR opportunity for brands, knowing when to tweet and when to resist is more important than ever.”
And while Moments originally was composed of content that only Twitter chose, that’s no longer the case. “Brands can create their own Moments via Twitter for desktop,” Lamp notes. “This is a great way to curate a collection of content around your editor or consumer event—or to capture the affinity around a new product rollout.”
Follow Seth: @skarenstein
Follow Michael: @Mjlamp