Twitter is at a crossroads. It's in the process of becoming a public company which will inevitably affect how they monetize, where they monetize, and perhaps even influence the type of content they are willing to allow on the site.  A bastion for free speech, how will Twitter react when Wall Street pushes back on controversial content? As little Twitter has grown up it is now squarely in the gunsights of Facebook, which can only survive and thrive by increasing its "marketshare" of our personal information. Twitter is experiencing a youth movement, driven in part by the fact that mother (and even grandmother) is on Facebook now, directly threatening a core Facebook audience. Twitter is also in the middle of placing a bold bet on becoming the go-to "second screen" for television viewing. Twitter has changed my life so these are vitally interesting topics for me and many in the marketing field ... and an awesome topic for our next Marketing Companion podcast. And if these topics are not reason enough to tune in, you should listen to this episode just to hear Tom Webster state that he no longer has to suck on the teet of social media. It's a fun and lively debate which also covers: Why Twitter may be a better investment than Facebook Facebook's pre-IPO sneak attack The critical importance of owning the "second screen" Why a Twitter-Nielsen partnership is dynamite Twitter as a shelter for cowards and how dimwits define the conversation The IPO's possible impact on Twitter and free speech? Why Twitter needs celebrities to fuel the youth movement The three unique value propositions of Twitter The new monetization models for Twitter -- "reach" versus "targeting" At this point you are probably experiencing a Pavlovian-type response and are reaching for the "play" button. Well, here it is: Resources mentioned in this podcast: Christopher S. Penn Venture Capitalist John Frankel of ff Venture Capital The Book The Tao of Twitter: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time