Twitter has launched a new ad product called First View that aims to put videos at the top of users’ timelines. At the same time, the beleaguered social network announced the formation of the Twitter Trust & Safety Council in a bid to clamp down on the rampant bullying and hatespeech that proliferates across the platform.
Both announcements arrived ahead of the company’s quarterly earnings report tomorrow, as shares hit an all-time low last night.
The First View product will give marketers “exclusive ownership of Twitter’s most valuable advertising real estate” — the top ad slot — “for a 24-hour period,” wrote revenue product manager Deepak Rao in a blogpost. The move underscores Twitter’s emphasis on video, though First View could eventually roll out to other types of ads, according to Techcrunch.
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The Trust & Safety Council, on the other hand, represents a collaboration with 40 total social justice organizations including The Anti-Defamation League, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and GLAAD. “To ensure people can continue to express themselves freely and safely on Twitter,” wrote Patricia Cartes, head of global policy outreach, “we must provide more tools and policies.”
In an internal memo leaked last year, former CEO Dick Costolo wrote that the company “sucked” at dealing with abuse and trolls, resulting in the loss of “core user after core user.” Last week, Twitter said it has suspended 125,000 ISIS-related accounts and has dedicated more team members to anti-terrorism vigilance.
