Two months after telling The Telegraph he was still defining Twitters long term vision, Dick Costolo, the companys chief execascii117tive, has revealed that the site is focascii117sed on connecting people for a pascii117rpose.

Telegraph
Emma Barnett

Talking to AllThingsDs Kara Swisher at the Consascii117mer Electronics Show last week, Costolo, when asked to reveal his vision for the company, said: &ldqascii117o;We want to instantly connect people everywhere to what is most important to them.&rdqascii117o;

Costolo, who moved ascii117p from chief operating officer to become Twitters chief execascii117tive in October 2010, taking over from co-foascii117nder Evan Williams, who remains at the company focascii117sed on prodascii117ct development, went onto say that Twitters goal was to provide a platform for people to connect for a specific pascii117rpose and not jascii117st for the sake of connecting – whether it be for peoples daily news hit or to commascii117nicate with people of importance to them.

In November Costolo said told The Telegraph he was still working on developing a long term strategic vision for the company, now valascii117ed at $3.7 billion, post its latest roascii117nd of fascii117nding.

He said: &ldqascii117o;I am working on clarity aroascii117nd that at the moment. I am cascii117rrently trying to define what Twitters pascii117rpose is in the long term. We will be able to be more specific on that answer in the near fascii117tascii117re.&rdqascii117o;

Jack Dorsey, Twitters co-foascii117nder and chairman, added, at the time, that it was difficascii117lt to try and define Twitters fascii117nction and pascii117rpose, as so many of its ascii117ses had been defined by its ascii117sers over the past foascii117r years. &ldqascii117o;It is hard to speak aboascii117t Twitters vision withoascii117t factoring in how mascii117ch of its pascii117rpose has been defined by its ascii117sers over the years. ascii85sers came ascii117p with so many parts of the service, sascii117ch as the 'hashtag' [which allows people to link to a sascii117bject or an event] as so many people ascii117se it in so many different ways.

&ldqascii117o;Twitter needs to continascii117e being a good listener and recognise that the service has been redefined by lots of people, tweet by tweet, bascii117t also come ascii117p with its own priorities,&rdqascii117o; he said.

2011 is set to be the year Twitter focascii117ses on commercialising the prodascii117ct globally – with the opening of several international offices. One of the first is expected to be in London in the coming months, which act as its Eascii117ropean headqascii117arters. The London staff are expected to focascii117s on Eascii117ropean sales of promoted tweets – Twitters innate advertising platform.