Rob Illidge (Marketing Executive)

Search-based ads will use DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) technology to scan a users tweets and relay ‘relevant’ and targeted ads back.

I suppose you could argue what is the problem with that? If I was desperately seeking an Employment Solicitor, not that I would , and vented my frustrations via Twitter, I would be more than happy to have a targeted ad from a Manchester based Solicitor delivered.

After all I’m using their platform so they are entitled to pursue revenue in this way.

Then there is the privacy issue. There’s always a privacy issue.

Why should Twitter ‘bombard’ users with ads that may not be relevant? And what if these ads take me to somewhere I thought I was buying ‘genuine UGG boots’ from, and ultimately ruin my online experience as a result.

Twitter must improve on Facebook’s mistakes, who still deliver inappropriate and wasteful adverts. No I don’t want to ‘date a hot girl from Manchester’, or need a ‘hot girlfriend in my area’. One is just enough thank you, lovely of them to ask though.

Alternatively, although less likely, is tweet-based advertising, which would send out ads with user’s tweets. I for one do not want an ad for “Johnny’s XXX site” (not the artist) being sent out on the corporate account.

However it has to be said that Twitter does already advertise, in case you missed it, because I did, they are found on the top right hand side of the Home page underneath followers. These ads are completely un-targeted and are barely noticeable as they only take up a small percentage of the online page real estate.

As I use an unofficial social media platform (Tweet Deck), I never see these ads, and doubt many other users will.

It will be interesting to see which route Twitter takes, Facebook have successfully integrated a somewhat ‘subtle’ advertising model, without a mass exodus from users, and I very much doubt it will be long before Twitter does the same.

And I never did get those UGG Boots