Twitter has announced starting May 28th, all of its users will be forced to begin using the new Twitter profile update. The new Twitter profile was used by several big celebrity names before average users began making the switch on April 22, if they choose to. The new look has gotten a lot of hate because of its close resemblance to the current Facebook profile.
Tweeters Hate Facebooking
The trouble with Twitter reflecting Facebook’s layout is that most Twitter users have migrated away from Facebook because they dislike the platform. These two platforms appeal to different audiences. I personally prefer my Twitter account over my Facebook account (although I have both) because I feel I have more freedom on Twitter to be myself and choose who I follow and what I am exposed to. While some are frustrated by the lack of characters when treating, it can also be a great relief from the wordiness and TMI that seems to be increasing in Facebook.
The New Changes
The new profile is designed to allow you to use a larger profile photo, customize your header (just like Facebook), and show off your best tweets.
Did you create a particularly brilliant tweet? Want to make sure it doesn’t get lost in the sea of your other thoughts and conversations? Twitter is now allowing you to pin the tweet of your choice to the top of your profile, making it easy to find and read by followers.
You can also filter what tweets you want to see depending on your mood. Want to read conversations or “Tweets with replies?” There’s an option for that. Dying to see what videos and profiles your friends are talking about? There’s a filter for that, too.
The new layout makes the font size much larger on tweets that have received better engagement to make sure your best content is eye catching and easy to find. Honestly, when I first noticed this, I thought it was a glitch that happened when I tweeted from my phone.
This new set up also shows on your profile page who you have recently started following. Just like Facebook shows who your newest friends are.
While users may be unhappy about the change, or at least parts of it, most social media profile changes have had a tough start. Thinking back to Facebook’s multiple profile updates, profile changing has not always been an easy road for users, especially when they use their profile’s daily and get comfortable with features. The new Twitter layout is definitely more visually appealing, which may be part of the problem users have with it. Twitter has typically been used as more of a conversation.
How the New Twitter Profile Can Affect Businesses
To know which posts are gaining the most engagement, a quick glance at your profile will reveal what is getting the most retweets, replies, and favorites by increasing the font size it appears in to highlight what seems to be your best content. As shown above, content that is not gaining much attention will remain tiny to reflect the small amount of interest it has gained.
Another important feature is the option to pin a tweet. This allows you to focus on content that is important and gives you the chance to promote a tweet without having to pay for the promotion. Twitter is fast moving, so this is a way to keep your old, brilliant tweets from getting lost in content.
The new pictures will also be a bonus as it means your not limited to small, poor quality images, and that you can really expand and embrace some better quality images. The new profile layout draws attention to your photos and your company’s personality.
While the similarities between Facebook and Twitter may be upsetting to users, it allows businesses to better highlight what is important and valuable about their company. It also creates more eye catching tweets by allowing your business, not only to pin an especially awesome tweet in plain view, but also by enlarging the font on tweets with high amounts of engagement. This makes users stop and take notice of the content displayed.