Twitter rolled out a number of updates in 2013. We take a look at the top five updates/features launched by the micro-blogging website this year.
Twitter entered its seventh year of existence this year. In 2013, we saw Twitter making some major changes to the micro-blogging site, with a special emphasis on non-text content and on mobile platforms. Twitter also rolled out two-step log in in attempt to prevent security breaches. Features such as Twitter alerts helped users get critical information when they needed the most. We take a look at the top 5 updates/features rolled out by Twitter this year:
Vine
Twitter kicked off 2013 with Vine – a new service that lets you capture and share short (six-seconds) looping videos. Users can use Vine on their iOS and Android smartphones to capture motion and sound – giving a very GIF like experience. Twitter’s Vine prompted Instagram to launch its own short-video sharing service. Also read: Hands On With Vine
Twitter Alerts
In a bid to make the micro-blogging site more socially relevant, Twitter launched Alerts service. The new feature allows Twitter users to access critical and accurate information from credible organisations in cases of emergencies, natural disasters or situations where other communication services aren’t available.
Improved photos experience
As said before, Twitter rolled out quite a few updates to improve photos experience on the network. Now, Twitter shows previews of pictures and videos from Vine. Photos experience in embedded posts has also improved – as pictures now appear larger when embedded. Moreover, users can click the photo to check out the conversation behind the Tweet. There is also an option to interact with embedded Tweets. Also, now users can send and receive photos via direct messages.
Good morning! Perspective – Sunday is a fine day to go for a walk with a friend. pic.twitter.com/P3uDfjYsEU
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) August 11, 2013
Older tweets in search results
Twitter made it easier for users to find their older tweets on the network. Prior to the update, search results displayed about a week-old only. Now, you can search content that’s beyond the recent Tweets.
Custom Timelines
One of the most interesting features on Twitter rolled out this year is custom timelines. Similar to storify, the feature lets you create a timeline, give it a name and choose which Tweets to add manually or automatically using an API. Different from the regular Twitter lists, custom timelines, featuring tweets that users want to add in their timeline, not subsequent tweets from their authors.
In 2014, Twitter users can expect a wide range of new features. One of the most anticipated features on Twitter is ability to edit tweets. Expected to be available early next year, the edit feature help you prevent embarrassments due to erroneous posts or typo errors and wrath of grammar Nazis. Mobile users are likely to be most benefited.
Which is your favourite Twitter update this year? What new feature/features do you expect from Twitter in 2014? Let us know in the comments section below: