AfterDawn: News

Twitter's next goal: 1 billion users

Evan Williams, Twitter's co-founder, has said this week that he expects the microblogging site to hit 1 billion users, although he would not give a time frame.

Earlier in the month, Williams stepped down as CEO.



Twitter currently has just over 165 million members, but the service has been seeing exponential growth since 2008.

Zeus Kerravala of Yankee Group Research says the goal is huge but possible: "A billion does seem a bit aggressive. But I do think, over time, social networking will overtake e-mail as the most popular communication tool. In that light, 1 billion isn't out of reach. Younger people will choose Twitter and Facebook over e-mail."

Kerravala also said e-mail was becoming an "old people's" tool, while Twitter was the modern equivalent.

"Over the next five years, as high school kids go to college and college kids enter the workforce, we'll see a rapid shift away from 'old people' communication tools like e-mail and the phone," he continued. "Twitter allows you to reach out to thousands of people at once."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 Oct 2010 18:14

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• 4 comments

• Dardandec

  OMG.........i'm becoming a dinosaur

  13.10.2010 18:54 #1

• cart0181

  Quote:Twitter allows you to reach out to thousands of people at once Allows, or FORCES? Why does everyone need to know your every private communique? No, I think the younger generation will begin to understand the value of privacy sooner than some believe.
  

  13.10.2010 22:24 #2

• bogwart16

  Twitter's next goal: one billion twits.

  15.10.2010 17:57 #3

• KillerBug

  "Kerravala also said e-mail was becoming an "old people's" tool, while Twitter was the modern equivalent."
  
  No, email is the modern equivalent of email...twitter has no privacy, but it also does not notify your intended audience when you have something important to say, rather than just an update that you are now watching episode 412 of the simpsons...when you tweeted that you were watching episode 411 20 minutes before.
  
  If they want to get 1 billion users (about 1/7 of everyone on earth), they will have to offer something more...maybe it would help if they offered email.

  16.10.2010 07:08 #4