There’s a new look for social media birds to discover. And it’s very reminiscent of Facebook. Unlike many of Facebook’s tricky-to-navigate “enhancements,” however, this Twitter change is largely intuitive.
Twitter’s clean, simple design is meant to highlight you or your business and what you have to say. When you first make the switch to the new look, pop-ups will guide you on how to make changes and draw your attention to new functions, but here’s a rundown of what you can expect:
Photo Alterations
Twitter hasn’t eliminated the profile picture or profile header, but both elements are now larger. The header fills the top of the screen, similar to but even wider than a Facebook page header. Rather than your profile description covering this large image as with the old Twitter design, the header is now unencumbered (making it a great spot for a logo or other branding) and the description has been relocated to under the profile picture in the lefthand column.
In another nod to Facebook, Tweeted photos now appear within the middle column of a profile rather than remaining as links that people have to click to see more.
What You See and What You Get
Similar to the ability to hide posts written by certain Facebook users, or minimize the number of updates you see from particular account holders, Twitter now has Filtered Tweets – you can choose the timeline you want to view when you’re looking at other users’ profiles to view 1) Tweets, 2) Tweets with photos or videos, or 3) Tweets and replies.
An automatic face lift of the new profile page comes courtesy of how much others interact with what you’ve Tweeted. Best Tweets are categorized as those that receive more engagement (replies, retweets, favorites) and they appear in a slightly larger font in your feed. That makes it easy for you (and others) to find your best and most popular content.
You can customize what gets attention with the Pinned Tweet function. You can pin one Tweet to the top of your page, no matter when it was posted, so your followers can see right off the bat what you’re all about, what you’re currently promoting, or what they need to know about your Twitter voice.
The New Menu, Etc.
Twitter now offers a horizontal menu of viewing options underneath the header, similar to Facebook’s menu. You can choose to view your own Tweets, Photos/Videos, Following, Followers, Favorites, or Lists. The Following and Followers tabs now show accounts with a tiled look rather than a list, making it far more pleasing to the eye.
Seems like everyone is taking a page from Facebook’s, well, book. Even some recent LinkedIn changes mirror Facebook. Twitter, though taking a few cues from the original social media giant, still has its own personality. Twitter demands brevity, and, in the beginning, was more about fun than function. Now, however, Twitter is just as much of a marketing tool as a flyer, commercial, or business card. Get with the flock and start Tweeting. It’s easier, more interesting, and more influential than ever.
