Twitter launched a certification program today that clearly identifies which Twitter-based services the company values, no doubt further upsetting developers who have been left out of Twitter's good graces.
The micro-blogging site is focused on promoting companies that "bring some of the most innovative products and services" to businesses and organizations, according to a blog post from Seth Bindernagel, who works on platform marketing for Twitter.
Twitter recently tightened its restrictions for developers, drawing ire from some but solidifying its relationships with developers who created products that tie Twitter into the business world.
These developers include the 12 companies that are in Twitter's new program for now. But Twitter is looking for more companies to come into the fold, Bindernagel writes.
"While not every applicant may be a fit, we are very interested to learn more about your products and will get back to each application as soon as we can," he wrote.
The program, which features three shiny blue seals of approval, is for companies that fall into three categories: engagement, analytics and data resellers.
Engagement products, like SocialFlow or Mass Relevance, cover services that help brands engage with customers, while analytics products are ones that capture what customers are saying on Twitter, like Dataminr or Crimson Hexagon. Some of companies, like Hootsuite and Radian6, fall into both.
Data resellers are companies that have built entire interfaces on top of Twitter to further categorize tweets, giving brands a tool to learn from the data. These companies include DataSift and Topsy.
The program strengthens Twitter image as a business. The site knows where its value lies -- its millions of tweets chock full of consumer information -- and it wants to reward businesses who enhances its existing service.
The certification program doesn't focus on any services that add to the customer experience, of course. Twitter has made it clear it wants that seal approval all for itself.