The Twitter Redesign is inching closer, and why not – this has been a year for redesigns in the social media world! All that remains is for us to have a closer look at what they’ve done, and see if the improvements will help or hinder your Twitter profile. Today I’m going to find out if the New Twitter, is a better Twitter.
Courtesy of buzzfeed.com
Twitter Redesign on The Cards
Twitter has been chirping about a redesign for some time now, and it seems to be close to completion – or at least close enough to release some previews to the net. The rumor mill has been working overtime, and people have been comparing the Twitter redesign updates to Facebook, and even Pinterest.
Has Twitter sacrificed its uniqueness and decided to become a ‘same old’ social networking site? Let’s take a look at the proposed look and feel of the new design.
The Twitter redesign includes a bunch of stuff for its mobile apps:
• New photo interface that lets you see very large photo images
• In the ‘Discover’ area, you’ll be able to see headlines and photo previews
• Popular Tweets from your connections will be shown in ‘view all tweets’
• Twitter redesign includes new search features, with photos
These changes may not seem like much at first but it tells us a few things about the direction that Twitter is heading.
1. They are focusing on a photo-centric version of Twitter
2. They want features like retweets to have more context for the reader
3. They want Twitter to be used universally on mobile phones
Courtesy of Mashable.com
The Original 140 Character Microblog
The Twitter redesign has a lot of people excited, and a few worried as well. For me, it’s a dangerous thing to break your ‘success’ formula and branch out into other social media forms. What if Twitter becomes too much like Pinterest or Facebook? What if the images that are supposed to enhance the experience, don’t do that at all?
At this point Twitter is reaching for a richer user experience, which means images and video – sure. But they need to stick really close to their microblogging roots if the Twitter redesign is going to work. Go a little too far, and disaster could strike.
Why use Twitter for images when Pinterest exists? Why use Twitter for long discussions, when Facebook does that? It’s a balancing game.
The Twitter Redesign in Perspective
So far, based on the proposed Twitter redesign features, everything is looking good. Even Twitter has admitted that they’ve always been defined by text. But they plan to add loads of images and articles to the neat, fun to use Twitter stream that the world loves.
Courtesy of buzzfeed.com
Once this has been fully integrated, will it still be the Twitter we know and love? No, it won’t. It will be a new Twitter, one that is trying to stay relevant in an increasingly progressive social landscape.
The Twitter redesign will ensure that the site stays fresh, but whether this ‘freshness’ is what people want, is another matter. One thing I know for sure – Twitter can’t compete with Facebook based on images. I only hope that for Twitter, this redesign breathes new life into their service. I don’t want to see Twitter go the same way as the old Myspace.
Did you enjoy this post on the Twitter redesign? Please share it with your friends!
Also – do you like the direction that Twitter is going in? Is it a good or bad thing?
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