Twitter got a major upgrade yesterday and now sports a brand new look and many new features worth exploring. I think this was a major update resulting in a new website, new apps for iOS and Android and a major update to it's recently acquired social media integrator, TweetDeck.
The new Twitter is organized under four buttons, and the mobile app was upgraded too:
- You will recognize “Home” as your “News Feed” only its been enhanced. Media in tweets like photos used to be viewable on the side and now you can click and see them right in the tweet.
- Your @replies and mentions will now be found in “Connect.” It appears the only thing new here is your ability to type someone's @name and learn about that person instantly.
- Search functions have been enhanced and are now located in “Discover.” Discover will identify stories and trends based on your connections, location and language.
- Your Twitter profile is now found in “Me.” It's bigger and your information now appears on the left instead of the right. Tweets now appear on the right and don't take up as much space as before.
- The Twitter mobile app now sports the same four-column look along with a change you are likely not to notice. The pen icon for creating a new tweet has become a quill.
Twitter, like Google+ and Facebook now has brand pages for businesses. These pages will have more functionality and allow for more interactions with followers. Brands will be able to customize their page with large logos and extended taglines. Companies will also be able to promote tweets on their own pages.
The goal of this re-design is to make “Twitter more accessible for all 7 billion people on the planet,” Jack Dorsey, chairman of Twitter, said during a press conference on Thursday. Dorsey added that the company has made it “simpler not just for people already engaged but easier for new people to discover it and find value in it. It's the best place to represent yourself on the Internet.”
Have a look at Twitter's video walkthrough, then let us know what you think.
