As an example of how to finish the year strong and make 2012 a fresh start, Twitter rolled out the microblog’s most extensive overhaul ever last month. TweetDeck got tweaked, the website’s been reorganized, the iOS and Android apps were updated, and some new icons have popped up.
Unlike the mass revolts that take place when Facebook alters the social network, Twitter’s update was, for the most part, well received. Whatever complaints most people have are centered on mobile-related bugs that need to be worked out—no swipe to retweet for mobile versions, no copy/paste on smartphones, and the extra click to get to direct messages are the things people are talking about most.
Since most of those issues are sure to be updated away, the rest of Twitter’s changes are universally well liked, despite altering the fundamental purpose of Twitter altogether. Since I believe in embracing change, especially good ones, here’s a little walkthrough to help you get reacquainted with your favorite microblog.
What’s Changed?
When you visit the new Twitter, you’ll be greeted by the most obvious alterations of the update. Some new features have been added and redistributed among the old ones, which have been reorganized under four labels.
Home
Your news feed on digital steroids. Media such as photos and videos are now embedded into the tweet instead of shunted off to the side. @repliesand retweets have a new, “open,” option that enables users to see additional information about the discussion. Twitter also promises the feed will appear “consistently” across all platforms—an issue we didn’t know existed but are happy to hear is under control.
Connect
The home for all your mentions and @replies. The only true addition here is the ability to type in someone’s handle and instantly learn more about that person or to connect with them instantly.
Discover
The supercharged, twin-turbo edition of the old search functions on Twitter. Discover not only displays trending topics and hashtags, it also identifies stories and trends that you’ll be interested in based on your connections, location, and language.
Me
A larger, cleaner iteration of your Twitter profile. The cosmetic shift from right to left will throw you off at first, but the vertigo wears off eventually.
The mobile apps have the same four-tab format—Twitter promised consistency—but the interface has been streamlined and given a new look. A small but delightful change is the updated pen icon for new tweets being replaced by a feather quill. Not everyone appreciates touches like this, but elegant design indicates attention to detail, and attention to detail results in better products.
Some other mentionables are that the API allows embedded tweets, and interactions with other apps and platforms (like WordPress) have been improved. The embedded tweets are an interesting addition, and allow users with a website to embed individual tweets on a page. This mimics Storify to some degree, but operates one tweet at a time. From the embed, you can retweet, reply, or favorite the tweet, and even follow the user without ever having to leave the page you encountered the embed on.
A final tweak worth mentioning is that Twitter has added brand pages for companies. Although most businesses already have existing Twitter accounts, brand pages provide companies with a more prominent header, and allow for enhanced interactions with followers.
Guest article written by: Elli is an avid skier and tennis player who enjoys writing in her spare time for U.S. Bundles – home of www.usbundles.com.
I like the new twitter especially the brand page for companies. It gives me more power to my profile which could lead to more followers and help me get closer to my goals.
I’ve also noticed the crossed-arrow that said “Go to the people you follow”, I don’t know where to find it now. Just bump it lat night.
Well, i like the most is the “replies”. It’s now easier to talk over a tweet. I like the changes so far, thanks for summing them all up.
Great article! I see that this is really is a major update for Twitter. One thing you didn’t point out is when the changes will roll out. I just logged in to my desktop Twitter account and don’t see any of these updates.
Are you sure twitter provides brand page for companies? If so, Twitter will be awesome!
If they already change it ..I think twitter will be great..Thanks for sharing this post to us..
Ya T noticed this thats why searched and found this
thanks for sharing
Elli , I too cant find a brand page for creating one for website on twitter.
Veronica are you sure?
Thanks for the feedback everyone! For businesses, there are enhanced profile pages but they have yet to open it up to everyone. It’s limited right now to a smaller selection of brands but it will roll out more capabilities within the next month or so.
The still haven’t brought back native rss though. I’ll still use the standard workaround to link twitter to an rss reader
hello
the new twiiter page is really nice as compared to old one i was finding for this post to read more about twiiter new interface thnx for sharing it with us thnx really nice post
Excellent article! I see that this is really is a significant bring up to date for Tweets. One element you do not factor out is when the changes will throw out. I just soaked in to my esteem computer Tweets profile and do not see any of these improvements.
Hi there,
the new twitter, their new feature set, layout, look and feel is just great. Besides, I like the idea of brand pages. For the businesses it’s great to be able to share more information with twitter followers.
Regards. Tanya
I always looks for twitter updates. They’re really improving its website and they always come up whit new interesting functions,especially for small business owner!
Very nice update regarding Twitter because from last 20 days because of my work, I have not used twitter account so I am unaware about this thing but now I am updated.
Hi Ellie thanks for the twitter update i have not seen it yet thanks for letting me know
cheers