Over the past seven days I have beta tested two new desktop twitter applications, had two twitter web apps pitched for me to review and caught an exclusive look at an upcoming update to an existing twitter iPhone application. It has been one tweet of a week! As an active twitter user I don’t mind beta testing or receiving pitches from developers especially when they listen to my suggestions and that’s what happen yesterday while I was taking a look at a new twitter iPhone app update.
As I was looking at the iPhone app, I asked about the ReTweet format. One of the development team members said they used (Via @twittername) and I said the twitter community prefers RT or ReTweet over Via because RT or ReTweet gives more value to the original tweetier vs the Via format. I mention how some people don’t really pay attention to the Via at the end of the tweet after they read the first part of the 140 characters. I closed my point saying that RT or ReTweet was the standard and should be included in the initial launch of the app because it’s one of the first items people look for or notice when they want to use an app for a ReTweet.
I must have done a good job pitching the ReTweet suggestion because a few hours later I received an email saying that RT has now been added to the application settings. Yeah! Although Via will be used first, at least we’ll have the option to change it to RT.
Was I correct or it’s really not that big of a deal? Let me know what you think by taking the ReTweet poll below.
When using a twitter application for the iPhone or desktop is the ReTweet format important to you? What other twitter application features are important to you?