The new Twitter profile doesn’t just change the aesthetics of the social network; it also brings new opportunities for users. Let’s see how you can make the most of it.
Already in the pipeline for a few months, Twitter has made the new profile available to all users, inviting them to switch to the new interface. As with any layout changes, it can take a while to find your bearings, not to mention getting a grip of the new features.
We’ll explain what the changes are, as well as how to adapt to make your Twitter profile even more appealing.
Activate the new Twitter profile
To switch to the new Twitter layout, just log into the social networking site and click on the link you see at the top. If you can’t find it, go to the new profiles section in the About page and click on Get it now. You’ll be redirected to the homepage of your account, where you can activate the new profile by clicking on Turn it on!
Choose your images carefully
The new Twitter is putting all its money on visual impact. Just like Facebook, the social network that’s all about tweets has decided to give priority to photos and videos. You’ll notice a much greater emphasis on images in your timeline, and now the same’s happening with profiles.
The first thing you should do is change your homepage images to make them fit better with the new design. The right dimensions are:
- 400×400 px for profile photos
- 1500×500 px for the header image
The size of the Twitter profile images
Twitter is clearly pushing towards the personalization of your profile page, but it still provides you with a gallery of Flickr images to choose from for your header, if you prefer to use something a bit more generic.
There are endless way to combine a cover image and a picture, giving you the chance to have a creative and original profile that sets you apart from other users. The new design is not, however, fixed, and is adapted from time to time depending on the screen and the device of whoever’s viewing , making it impossible to have a predetermined composition for each monitor, as many have done on Facebook.
An image taken with a fish eye lens can have great impact as a new header
My advice is to choose two images that go together regardless of their arrangement. In any case, the header will be displayed in full on all devices.
Set your main tweet and craft your biography
With the new Twitter profile, you can pin a tweet, or make it always appear at the top of your page. This is what other social network users will first see when they go to your profile, probably even before the biography, which is now relegated to the left of the screen.
Choose a tweet that represents you and that you want others to read first. Another option is to pin an image to give your profile even greater visual impact.
Menu for pinning a tweet to your profile
Also, if you haven’t already done so, take this chance to write a biography, your sort of (mini) introduction on Twitter. Although it’s not on the new profile page, when a user clicks on your name on their timeline, the first thing they’ll see is a pop up with your biography above the header.
The other new feature is a timeline of tweets on your profile, which now shows your most successful activity (most retweeted or marked as favorites) as larger tweets.
Retweeted or favorited tweets appear larger
With all these changes, Twitter hopes to encourage the 44% of accounts that have never tweeted anything to get out there and start tweeting. If you’ve only posted a few tweets, making your profile more appealing should encourage you to start posting more regularly.
Going down the list, you’ll also find profiles of the people you’ve recently followed. Hopefully, this means that whoever visits your profile will follow you immediately, and you can do the same by visiting the profiles of others.
Profiles of the last people you followed
Videos, photos, and favorite lists: your stories at your fingertips
As mentioned, Twitter’s finally realized that, in many cases, a picture is worth much more than 140 characters. Now, they’ve also added a tab on your profile where you can see all the media files you’ve uploaded on the social network.
In this respect, we’ve got two pieces of advice. First, clean out embarrassing images and videos that you don’t want to appear in your profile. You can also delete tweets by clicking on the trash can icon, as shown in the image.
Clear images and tweets that you don’t want to appear
The other tip is to liven up the multimedia content of your account, because a profile with poor images and videos is unattractive, perhaps even more so than one without a description.
Along with fast access to photos and videos, you’ll also find buttons for viewing tweets that you’ve added to your favorites and lists. One annoying thing, however, is that the filter automatically removes the conversation from the main screen of your profile: whoever wants to see them will have to click on the appropriate tab. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about removing conversations that you think are clogging your timeline!
Less like Twitter, more like Facebook
As noted by many, the redesign of Twitter is very similar to that of Facebook, putting images front and center on your profile, rather than the more “volatile” tweet. The home page of your account is now much more personalized, hoping to provide even more information about you.
Whether you like the change or not, the new profile pages have much better visual impact, although they’re perhaps a bit light on the information side. In any case, any redesign brings with it new opportunities, which, more often that not, are worth taking advantage of!
Follow me on Twitter @zoltan__v
