I read today that Twitter has signed an agreement with two Los Angeles-based TV production companies, who plan to produce an unscripted “reality television” series in which Twitter will be used to hunt celebrities. In so doing Twitter, probably the hottest property on the web just now, as stirred up ill feeling with many of the hard-core tech geeks that formed it’s original audience. But actually could this move signal early signs that Twitter’s management have found their commercial heads? Actual could it be a move towards securing Twitters future?

There is no doubt that Twitter has come a long way since its beginnings as a messaging system for tech-geeks. It has slowly overcome many of its stability and performance issues and the “blue whale” seldom seems to make an appearance these days.

But make no mistake; the main factor that has caused Twitter to skyrocket in popularity is that the “masses” now have a new way of consuming content from high profile public figures. Yep, the Obama campaign, Brittney and even our dearly beloved Stephen Fry are typical of the real reason that Twitter is enjoying success. It has nothing to do with clever technology, innovation or friends chatting. Twitter found its tipping point, by chance, through celebrity adoption and now is reaping the rewards of being able to offer value through being mainstream. Similar to Facebook, its user base has reached a significant critical mass, which makes it an interesting channel to marketers; certainly those engaged in B2C marketing but also many of the brighter B2B ones too.

So does positioning itself as a “tool for stalking celebrities” which some claim, “really diminishes the value of what the service is”? No! it is completely on brand and inline with exactly what the service is and what has caused it to become successful in the first place. Perhaps other technical commentators need to take a step back and get a grip on reality? Twitter is not a religion; some form of black magic or indeed anything particularly clever. It is just another communications channel that is starting to become useful.

The very fact that it has huge numbers of these so called “celebrity stalkers”¬† (I think you and I know them as the general public!) is what creates the possibility of it being used for customer service and other applications. Lets face it, if the people were not already there then it would hardly be worth an airline, coffee shop or other brand “joining in” would it? And all of those brands combined would not have caused people to adopt the channel in the first place.

The only small fly in the ointment thus far has been that the management at Twitter seem to have been unable to figure out how to make money. In the normal traditional way, “advertising” has been considered but luckily sufficient commercial acumen was available to discount this without having to try it out. “Search” was put forward as another potential revenue stream, probably inspired by Googles balance sheet, but this would be equally futile IMO. The fundamental issue appeared to be that Twitter had to shift from “tech-geek online play” mindset into something more traditional and commercial.

And by Jove I think they are starting to get the plot!

Linking Twitter to a reality TV show is a commercially brilliant move! It will drive additional mass take-up and drastically increase the active consumers that can be reached through the channel. It starts to establish Twitter as having a real, and probably unique for the time being, role in the VERY LUCRATIVE world of entertainment.  All of this makes it infinitely more valuable as a marketing channel.

Importantly it opens the door for premium Twitter services too.

So whilst some people seem to be concerned about Twitter becoming “shallow” and devaluing its corporate proposition, they are simply missing the point. Some time ago Twitter “sold its soul” to the media devil and from that day on the name of the game became reach.

Well done Twitter, brilliant move and welcome to adolescence. Wonder if you will make it to adulthood?