Is the end of Topify the beginning of the end for Twitter?

It’s an interesting question given Topify is a small but useful service that notifies Twitter users via e-mail about new followers. It’s one of the thousands of services that leverages Twitter’s API.

Last week, Topify said its service will shut down on August 5 after Twitter made changes to its back-end. The decision was made after Topify approached Twitter to see if there was any flexibility so Topify could continue to operate. The answer was “No”.

In the scheme of things, Topify is flea riding on the back of a big dog. But symbolically, Topify could an important telltale sign about Twitter’s future.

One of the key reasons Twitter has thrived is the tremendous support from the developer eco-system, which has enhanced the Twitter platform with services that have made it more valuable, interesting, entertaining and useful.

In many respects, it is akin to how Windows became the preeminent operating system by letting the developer community create applications that made Windows more valuable, useful and popular.

Twitter, on the other hand, has an increasingly love-hate relationship with its developer community. On one hand, it recognizes the role third-party services play to make Twitter more appealing. On the other hand, however, there is an antagonism towards developers because they have successfully outflanked Twitter by creating popular services that Twitter does not or will not offer, as well as figuring out ways to make money from many of these services.

It is the money that troubles Twitter because it has gone through a well-documented struggle to come up with viable business model ever since it started. Twitter has been hosting a terrific party but it has been sitting in the corner by itself while its guests have been meeting new people and dancing up a storm.

Finally, Twitter is putting its foot down by changing the rules about how its API and back-end can be used. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Instead, Twitter has decided to take control of the party even if it means some of its guests need to disappear or change how to operate. If it means companies such as Topify decide to walk away, so be it.

The danger for Twitter is by making it more difficult for developers, it makes the platform less useful or interesting. At the same time, it also opens the door for a competitive service to emerge that will be far more developer-friendly.

The high-tech world is a fickle place. One day, you’re king of the world; the next you’re chopped liver. Twitter may be riding high but developers and users will think nothing of switching teams if something better, more useful and user-friendly comes along. If Twitter continues to squeeze its developer ecosystem so it can continue its battle to become a business, it could mean the end of the Twitter Empire.