Popular social networking site Twitter has cancelled the sending of tweets via SMS in the UK. The move has been met with an uproar from the user base, particularly since Twitter fans in the UK heavily rely on the SMS part of the service to keep up to date with their friends.A post in the Twitter blog announces that the reasons behind the move were cost related. As a free service, Twitter struggled to keep up with increasing bills from its UK mobile operator, particularly as the service hadn't yet been able strike a deal for reduced rates like it had in other countries.
However, with costs escalating to stupendous heights, Twitter had to do something - and fast. So the SMS service died in the UK.
"Even with a limit of 250 messages received per week, it could cost Twitter about $1,000 per user, per year to send SMS outside of Canada, India, or the US," says Twitter blogger Biz. Though many users have claimed they would be willing to pay for the SMS service, it's unlikely a bill of £530 would be as welcome.
A large part of the adverse reaction has been resulting from Twitter's handling of the situation. It didn't warn anybody about the upcoming death of UK SMS. It just cut it off. On both the blog and Twitter's open forum page, Twitter users have expressed dismay at the treatment of so many loyal users.
On top of this, the text message is hugely popular communication tool in the UK. Unlike in the USA, British mobile phone users do not use the mobile internet all that much if they can help it. This is due to high costs for mobile access, which has left a lot of Twitter fans feeling that they have no way of keeping up to date whilst on the move and that real-time conversations over Twitter are now impossible.
Twitter is also known for its unreliable servers, extensive downtime, accidentally blocking members and data inconsistencies - but many of its users stuck by the site for its free SMS.
It looks like this event could really damage Twitter's relationship with its members in a long-term sense. Though Twitter has suggested ways for non-UK, non-US members to stay in touch and has stated it will strive to get SMS back up and running, the damage seems to be quite overpowering. Some users are even rallying for a one-day strike to prove to Twitter how displeased they are.
With so many concerned that Twitter is simply falling apart to the extent of alienating its users, it's uncertain as to whether the social networking site will succeed in providing a " full, two-way service with Twitter via SMS to every nation in a way that is sustainable from a cost perspective" before it's too late.
