Twitter Gets Tweaked
Just as naysayers began to fret over Twitter’s lack of online refurbishment, concerns regarding the laissez-faire attitude of the social medium were recently laid to rest. The social engine of curt responses has decided to ring in the new year with a new interface for companies looking to personalize their accounts. Thus, Twitter has come off the bench and taken hold of its position in the starting lineup, ready to score against their rival teams in white and blue (Facebook and LinkedIn).
In 2011, Facebook and LinkedIn incrementally steeped their new online components and features in a preponderance of news releases and forums, leaving Twitter lagging behind with its original functionality. Now that the social tides are changing, Twitter has finally set sail to deliver brand pages to its users, with selected companies serving as the litmus test. To kick things off, Twitter reached out to 21 partner brands in an effort to provide them with a more distinctive presence.
Being that every Twitter page completely mirrored the next, Twitter developers wanted to create a more interactive and idiosyncratic experience for the user. The page has been redesigned to incorporate header images (for company logos or product placements), embedded tweets, videos and photos. The rich media capabilities of the enhanced profile page offer business accounts stationary promotional tweets at the top of the page, and a “New Connect” section that tracks those who have followed, retweeted or mentioned the brand.
The convenience of embedded tweets and videos can help to minimize the hassle of redirection, but will the additions truly increase visitor/viewer engagement? Keep in mind: this social dais can be used steadily without the need to visit a user’s page. After becoming a follower, you receive continuous updates from that user within your live feed, eliminating the need to visit their profile page, right? So will this new function improve Twitter’s position as a contender in the social media ring, or will it sputter away into the realm of digital oblivion in the face of its communal challengers?
I suppose time will tell whether or not this revamp has legs of longevity—whether it keeps users interested in revisiting profile pages more frequently, if at all. However, now that Twitter has beefed up its audience to over 50 million users, I’m sure their advertising revenue will help maintain their financial traction. Either way, with that many ears listening, there’s no reason their paid marketing platform will not prove fertile ground throughout the years to come.
Do you think the usability of the site will keep engagement high?
-Michelle Nash
