When a social network starts there seems to be a collaborative approach from users and developers alike, combining to build something they can all use and enjoy. A symbiotic relationship ensues. However, once a level of critical mass is reached the users start seeing themselves as “customers” and the developers as a Service Provider, almost expecting some sort of Service Level Agreement for a service they’ve never paid for. This in turn can switch to resentment and result in the users leaving for “someone who treats them better” such as another up and coming network. The resentment escalates rapidly when investment and increased valuations occur.

It will be interesting to watch how Twitter develops. It’s still in the position where users accept (and expect) that the service will be down on a regular basis but that is close to switching to resentment rather than a slight irritation. And they’ve just had new investment.

Social Networks need to be able to handle this change in the relationship with their users as part of any repositioning or transformation.