Twitter and its developer ecosystem have had a somewhat rocky relationship in recent months, particularly as Twitter has filled voids that were previously filled by third-parties by offering their own versions of things. Think mobile clients and photo uploading.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, hoping to send a strong message to the developer community, today posted a “note from @jack to Twitter developers, thanking them for all that they’ve done, and asking how they can make things better. Here is the note in its entirety:
As Twitter developers, you are a fundamental part of our DNA. Thank you for your many contributions to the Twitter ecosystem. Our ongoing commitment is to give you the structure, tools, resources, and support you need to build your businesses as you leverage the power of Twitter.
So to help us do a better job with that, we want to hear from you. I’d like to ask for your candid feedback. We want to know what additional materials you need from us to help you build products, boost distribution and expand your reach. I’ve opened a thread, Listening to your feedback, in our Discussions group so that you can share your ideas and opinions with me and the rest of the team.
In exchange, we will not only work to provide you with better tools and resources, but we will also bring you new opportunities. I’m particularly excited about what’s happening in the mobile world. With Apple’s upcoming deep integration of Twitter into iOS 5, there is an opportunity for us, together, to take the ecosystem to a new level.
Very soon, anywhere there’s an iPhone or an iPad, you’ll always find Twitter. If you’re an iOS developer, you can add Twitter to your application to personalize the experience for your users, giving them easier and better ways to login, enrich their experience, share thoughts and content and help boost your distribution.
I believe that our relationships with consumers and developers are a primary measure of our success. Thank you for helping millions of people around the world get more from Twitter.
Twitter has made quite a few improvements since Dorsey returned earlier this year, but there’s no question that there is a whole lot more value to be added to the service with the help of third-parties, and this will be truer than ever as iOS comes to market.
It’s definitely going to be in the company’s best interest to keep developers happy, particularly as Twitter’s own competition with rival social networks grows.