Twitter revamp promises easier, faster, richer experience

by Steven Mostyn - Sep 15 2010, 04:25

Described as delivering “an easier, faster, and richer experience,” social networking phenomenon Twitter has this week launched a revamped version of its hugely popular micro-blogging service.

Some of the feature highlights Twitter users can look forward to include a fresh design and more impressive tweets thanks to “a cleaner timeline and a rich details pane” that adds aesthetic impact while retaining the site’s iconic simplicity. Users will also receive “infinite scroll” so they don’t have to click “more” in order to see additional tweet messages.

In a move to improve how users embed photos and video content, Twitter has expanded its online partnerships to include the likes of Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, Justin.TV, Etsy, DailyBooth, DeviantART, Twitgoo, Plixi, Kickstarter and more.

Improvements have also been made where related content is concerned. For example, when a user clicks a tweet, the details pane reveals additional information connected to the author or the subject – opening avenues to replies, other tweets created by that users, and even a map of dispatched geo-tagged tweets.

Users can also enjoy the freedom of accessing “mini profiles” without navigating away from the current page. Here they’ll find quick access to account information, bio details and recent tweet content by simply clicking on an @username.

“We are incredibly proud of the work the Twitter web team has accomplished,” the service enthused via an official announcement page. “We hope you are too.”

The enhancements will be rolled out as a changeable preview over the next several weeks, according to Twitter, starting with a small percentage of accounts before then gradually spreading to everyone else.

During the preview period, users will be able to switch back and forth between the new and old versions as they become accustomed to the changes.

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