Twitter: the 2014 Facelift

Twitter is looking a little different starting yesterday. Before yesterday, it had been rolled to a select group of celebrity users including: Michelle Obama, Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, Floyd Mayweather, Kerry Washington, John Legend and Weezer (to name a few). Yesterday, Twitter is beginning to roll the new look out to the masses.

What does the new Twitter look like?

A screenshot is below, but it kind of looks like Twitter and Facebook got together and had a baby. Here is a list of the some of the characteristics of its new look…

• A Cover Image – They are everywhere. Facebook really started them. Now they appear on Google+ and Twitter. The cover is huge. On Facebook it is 851 pixels by 315 pixels. Twitter’s header is 1500 pixels x 500 pixels – roughly 3x the area.
• The Facebook Profile Picture – Twitter always had the profile picture, but it is positioned almost exactly where Facebook has it causing an uncanny resemblance.
• “Best tweets” – Your most popular tweets will appear larger so your best content is easier for your followers to find.
• “Pinned tweets” – Is there a tweet that you really like or are trying to promote the most? You can now pin that tweet to the top of your page.
• Tweet Filters – When scrolling through other profiles, you can choose a filter. You can select: tweets, tweets with photos or videos, or tweets and replies.
• Improved side bars – The left side bar, under that profile picture, contains your handle, profile info, location, website, tweet box, followers and media.
• Improved feed – Your feed will begin to look a lot more like Facebook than traditional twitter. Photos are displayed inline with easy access to favorites (likes) and retweets (shares).

I am a fan of this re-design. I think Twitter looked very different than everyone else. That was cool but at times a little cryptic. This design will make it easier to use for many and I think that will spark a new interest in this amazing social platform. It is no secret that Twitter is one of my favorite social platforms. I think this will make it stronger.

I think it’s also going to help Twitter’s previously cumbersome advertising platform. I was never a fan of their advertising and hoped that they would figure that out. With a stronger advertising platform, hopefully business will be able to better reach individuals on this platform.

What do you think? Do you like it or hate it? I would love to hear your opinions