Twitter's Retweet API Stinketh

Twitter announced today that they are working on an API in order to make retweeting an official aspect of the service. Not usually an excitable person, I am beside myself with the fact that I’m beside myself regarding the proposed API. I’m not the kind of person to cry armageddon or wear a “The end is coming” sign around my neck but I feel this particular move seriously undercuts the institution of retweeting and drives counter to the strengths of the Twitter service, itself.

This may seem like a trivial thing to get this excited about, but twitter is all about the conversation and the power of social media is the two-way communication. So why would we want a feature that squelches the conversation and confuses sharing?

For those who haven’t heard about it or seen the proposed APIs, I am including some demo screenshots:

The proposed API works by adding “Retweeting User” sections to the original tweet data. This means that if you retweet a message, the original message will appear in your timeline and it seems that your followers would see the original message (whether they follow that other user or not).

The upsides some have pointed out are that it gives credit to the original author. I can’t argue with that. But then, none of us would be able to argue with anything, would we? The conversation would be officially over. There’s no way for anyone to add their responses or insert their quips and jabs. We could create additional new tweets, but then we’d be out of context.

Twitter is based on conversations and sharing points of view. If users’ feelings on what went before disappear, then the conversation is over and we are taken back to one-way media.

So why am I so excited about this? Because I hate to see a perfectly good opportunity to improve a system wasted on a terrible implementation that is counter to innovation. They need to stop and listen to the user base.

What’s your biggest issue with retweeting? I’ll tell you mine: I don’t have enough chars remaining to fully express my thoughts.

Rather than squelch conversation, Twitter could even more easily allow users to type a full 140 chars and the original “retweeted” status ID could be attached to that new status ID and that would allow client applications developers to display the original tweet with the new tweet however they like. This would increase conversation and encourage sharing.

So let me know your thoughts. Am I crazy? Or does Twitter really have this one wrong?