Twitter Building Timeline Design Similar To Facebook News Feed

If you are one of those Twitter users who stick around because of its simplicity and sense of urgency, then your days of enjoying Twitter are probably at an end. Twitter has recently announced that it is working on some changes on users' homepage streams, and replacing the real-time updates with an algorithmic ally-controlled timeline not unlike the one you see on Facebook. If you run a business, this could mean a new approach for Twitter marketing is in order.

According to the Twitter announcement;

“we’re experimenting with better ways to give you what you come to Twitter for: a snapshot of what’s happening. We can use information like who you follow and what you engage with to surface highlights of what you missed and show those to you as soon as you log back in or come back to the app.

We’re also working on ideas such as an instant, personalized timeline for new users who don’t want to spend time cultivating one on their own.”

A couple of things to note here. First, Twitter will be 'improving' the experience for users by looking at who they follow, and what they interact with, and then using this data to tailor newsfeeds for users. Twitter details plans to surface relevant tweets based on your particular interests, which means you may eventually see tweets from people you don’t even follow.

According to the announcement, the timeline Facebook-like timeline might be only for news users. But frankly speaking, I don't see this happening. If Twitter is going ahead with this new customized timeline idea, then there'll be a ranking algorithm in place and that would naturally apply to all users on Twitter, and not just to new ones since the aim here is to customize the newsfeed and 'improve' the experience.

Is evolution the answer?

Websites and social networks evolve over time. Facebook has come a long way from being a college network to the biggest social platform ever. It is true that social networks like Twitter and G+ also need to evolve, but is this really the answer for Twitter?

Longtime Twitter users have stuck with the network for its real-time updates, and how easily it is to navigate around posts. Everything is arranged chronologically, and this makes it easier to find content and get the latest updates. On the other hand, an algorithm-driven newsfeed such as Facebook's is often irrelevant or repetitive, and it is often hard to find a particular story. This can be off-putting for hardcore Twitter users who use it just to get rid of fancy Facebook algorithms.

The change will be implemented over the next few months. However, it is unclear as to how it will effect businesses and post rankings. But if we were to guess, Twitter would adopt a model similar to Facebook. So if you use Twitter for marketing, now might be a good time to start re-evaluating your marketing strategies.

Do you think this is a step in the right direction for Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below!

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