Twitter buys TweetDeck for reported $40-50 M M $

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP writer Barbara Ortutay technology writer Ap technology - Wednesday, may 25, 3: 38 pm EST

NEW YORK - Twitter purchased TweetDeck, a London-based startup that helps people to read, write and organize short messages displayed on the network online - and you will keep the render service.

Twitter gave no financial terms, while published reports have pressed the price to about 40 million to $ 50 million. The San Francisco company said in a blog Wednesday that 15 a TweetDeck team joined Twitter. TweetDeck will continue to be based in London and its users, many of which are so-called "power-users of Twitter", will continue to be able to use the application.

Founded in 2008, TweetDeck allows users of Twitter organizes brands, celebrities, news wires, or people they "follow" on short messaging platform. Users can also monitor their Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media accounts.

Analysts said the deal makes sense. TweetDeck has some "high technology" and many faithful users, said Lou Kerner of Wedbush Morgan. It is not only the quantity, though, but the quality of these users that is important. Twitter contributors more elites, the most frequent are on TweetDeck, said Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst for research firm eMarketer. It comes to celebrities and companies.

"Twitter needed to ensure that its strongest, more loyal, more dedicated users remain in the fold," she said. "And see things that Twitter wanted to see such announcements".

TweetDeck users are typically announcements from Twitter, but with the acquisition this will probably change.

In a note of blog, TweetDeck said that its focus will continue to be "the tools of quality and services for the user to Twitter-centric."

TweetDeck founder and CEO Iain Dodsworth "user Twitter mainstream-base is well supplied for by twitter.com and official mobile clients", said in a blog. "And becoming part of the official platform, TweetDeck will now perform the role for brands, influencers, the very active and any person that it is sufficient that"more power".".

Twitter, said at the same time, it will be to "continue to invest in the TweetDeck users know and love," even if it did not give more specific plans.

The purchase of small businesses for the people who work there and then dismantling the real product is common in the tech world, where the talent is rare and valuable. But it seems that Twitter values TweetDeck for his product too, not only his people.

"TweetDeck provides brands, publishers, marketing specialists, and others a powerful platform to track all conversations in real time, they care about," writes CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo, in his note of blog.

With the acquisition, Twitter has now 505 employees. EMarketer estimates that the company received advertising revenues $ 45 million in the world in 2010. This year, which should grow to $ 150 million.