The rumors are true; the new Twitter is here. With a strikingly similar look to Facebook, the new design is slowly begin rolling out…unless you’re a new user or a select celebrity that is. According to Twitter’s blog, select celebrities with new profiles currently include the following:
- Film stars @zacefron and @channingtatum
- French TV host @nikosaliagas
- Australian Football League @AFL
- First Lady Michelle Obama @flotus
- Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter @gilbertogil
- Boxer @FloydMayweather
- TV star @kerrywashington
- Musicians @JohnLegend and band @weezer
So what exactly is new about this design? In my opinion, the changes may be the biggest turning point for the social media network since its inception. Twitter has become one of the most important social networks for brands, celebrities, the media and social influencers. After all, the profile pages help you learn about who people are in just a few minutes, what they’re talking about, interested in and why.
After previewing photos, checking out accou
nts that have made the change and reading up on some of the new changes to come, here are the three biggest changes I notice:
| 1) Everything’s Bigger |
Most page elements are bigger including the profile picture, header image and tweets themselves. In fact, tweets will now be enlarged depending on their popularity. With just a quick glance, one might even mistake this as a Facebook profile page.
2) Is this Pinterest?
The new “Following” list almost looks exactly like Pinterest. Instead of a list, the user now is presented with a board of large squares for everyone you follow. The positive of this new feature is that now it allows for more detail from each account listing when perusing followers. Not only does this list appear to look like Pinterest, but another new exciting feature is the new ability to “pin” tweets. Users will be presented with the option to “Pin to your profile page” which will be the first tweet everyone sees when visiting your page. This is quite possibly the best change by Twitter to date.
3) Right is #Trending
The “Trends” boxes have moved to the lower right side. After having this box on the left since its inception, this is one change I really wish wouldn’t be happening. Trends are far more important than following new people and should be far more visible, in my opinion. It’s quite possible that this and the “Who to follow” boxes will be missed completely if you don’t actively search for them.
Now more visually appealing than ever, Twitter’s new reliance on everything enlarged can be a bit overwhelming for long-time users. While their efforts to make it more accessible and inviting to everyone, I’m a bit turned off by the new look as someone who finds concise space practical. What do you think of Twitter’s new look? For more information on the new design, visit Twitter’s blog post here.
-Carolyn Rasley, Account Executive
