Twitter Undergoes First Major Overhaul

Micro-blogging site Twitter is undergoing a major revamp, in order to provide an easier, faster, and richer multi-media experience for its millions of users.

Rather than the previous model of a single stream of constantly updated tweets, Twitter will now spread information over two “panes” – one for the real-time stream of tweets, and the other for deeper context and embedded media, such as photos and videos within the text.

Until now, users have had to follow links to photos and videos on other websites or in a separate browser tab but, according to a blog by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, users can now “simply click on an individual Tweet and a details pane slides out on the right and reveals this content”. Twitter has signed partnerships with 16 photo and video hosting sites, including Flickr, TwitPic, Vimeo and YouTube, to make this possible.

Rich content

The details pane could also include replies, other tweets by that user or a map of where a geo-tagged tweet was sent from, depending on the tweet’s content.

Other features of the revamp include a cleaner timeline with infinite scroll, meaning you no longer have to click “more” to view additional tweets, and mini profiles of other users, including bio and recent tweets.

“We liked the old Twitter but we thought we could make it better,” Williams told BBC News. “There was a lot buried underneath Twitter and now we are bringing all of that to the surface.”

According to Williams, these changes will roll out as a preview over the next few weeks, during which time users will be able to switch back and forth, giving them time to grow accustomed to the new interface.

Twitter growth

Last month it was reported that some 93 million web users had visited Twitter.com from work or home computers in June of this year, more than doubling the number of users from the same period a year ago, according to comScore. However, this does not include the millions of users who access Twitter through third-party client applications such as TweetDeck.

Although it still trails a long way behind Facebook, which recently recruited its 500 millionth user, it has become one of the most-visited social networking websites in the world, according to comScore vice president of search and media Graham Mudd.

“Today nearly 3 out of 4 global Internet users access social networking sites each month, making it one of the most ubiquitous activities across the web,” Mudd said.

“As more users around the world have become acquainted with connecting and expressing themselves through social media, it has created an environment where new media like Twitter can emerge globally in a relatively short period of time.”

However, another survey by job sites network MyJobGroup.co.uk found that social networking sites such as Facebook are Twitter are potentially costing the British economy up to £14 billion a year in lost working time. The survey showed that more than half (55 percent) of the UK’s working population now accesses social media whilst at work, with a third of those (roughly six million) spending more than 30 minutes a day on social networks.

“Whilst we’re certainly not kill-joys, people spending over an hour per day in work time on the likes of Facebook and Twitter are seriously hampering companies’ efforts to boost productivity, which is more important than ever given the fragile state of our economy,” said Lee Fayer, managing director of Myjobgroup.co.uk.

To see a demonstration of the new Twitter interface, watch this video: