Twitter Talking Separately to Microsoft and Google About Big Data-Mining Deals »

Well if either or both of these deals were to happen, you could wave goodbye to that whole “no revenue” talk. And even the possibility of deals like this should have been obvious from the get-go to everyone on the no-revenue bandwagon.

The fact remains that Twitter, as a hugely popular platform, has a number of ways that it could eventually make money. They have two things that everyone wants: Users and data. Both are monetizable in different ways.

If it wanted to right now, it could simply turn on in-stream ads, and I would bet there would be a not unsubstantial stream rolling in given Twitter users’ proclivities towards clicking on links.

But this data deal seems like an easy win-win for all sides if the price is right. Of course, what this means for Twitter Search, and their own plans for link mining is another matter.