Twitter is looking a little more Facebook-esque today, following a significant visual update on the website as well as the iOS and Android apps
The social network is now including previews of uploaded images and Vine videos within the tweet on timelines for all users, whereas previously they’d need to click the link or hit the expand button to view media.
Users will still need to act if they want to view the full video or image, but they should be able to see enough to gather whether the picture is as least worth clicking or not.
The result is a hugely different visual experience for Twitter users, who are now seeing a much less text heavy timeline, but it add a significant amount of clutter to proceeding.
{/pullquote]For those who upload lots of photos to the site, it’ll mean images get more exposure{/pullquote} and a guarantee they’ll be seen by more of followers. However, on the other hand, those wishing to see the picture in the first place we able to hit the link without too much trouble.
Here’s how Twitter is explaining the change: “So many of the great moments you share on Twitter are made even better with photos or with videos from Vine. These rich Tweets can bring your followers closer to what's happening, and make them feel like they are right there with you.
“We want to make it easier for everyone to experience those moments on Twitter. That's why starting today, timelines on Twitter will be more visual and more engaging: previews of Twitter photos and videos from Vine will be front and centre in Tweets. To see more of the photo or play the video, just tap.”
The update comes less than a week after third-party Twitter client Tweebot updated its wares for iOS 7, brining a media-only feature which allowed users to read those posts featuring pictures and video in a separate timeline.
As well as the visual update, Twitter has also made it easier to favourite, reply or retweet within the mobile apps without leaving the timeline. Those commands now sit beneath the tweet without having to tap to access them.
Are you enthused or annoyed by the new Twitter update? Are you worried it may be difficult to avoid less work-suitable posts now all images are appearing within the timeline? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Via Engadget
