As Twitter’s shares hit an all-time low, the platform has been making some small changes that it hopes will have a big effect on the bottom line. In the latest such move, the company has unveiled a new “Connect” tab on its app in the hopes of attracting more users.
The update is now available to people who use Twitter for Android and iOS, although it will be necessary to update the app for the change to be seen. It entails the addition of a new blue icon of a person’s silhouette with a plus sign on the left side of the Twitter app’s home page. This will bring users to the Connect page, which will display a list of the people and accounts that Twitter thinks the user might like to follow based on a number of factors.
An official Twitter.com blog post explains how Twitter will determine which accounts to show you:
“To give you the best recommendations — which we’ll continue to refine over time — we look at who you already follow, Tweets you like, popular accounts in your local area, what’s happening in the world right now, and more. We’ll also let you know exactly why we’re showing you each recommendation.”
To make decisions about who to follow easier, Twitter will also provide user bios for the accounts it suggests. A similar past feature known as Find People listed suggestions of who to follow but failed to provide details or explanations.
Twitter also said that users will now be given the option to automatically sync their address books and receive notifications when someone in their address books decides to join the network.
Twitter hoping to engage people and simplify usage
The firm acknowledged that finding new accounts to follow was too complicated of a process in the past. It is hoped that the move will help people figure out what to do while they are on Twitter so they will stay there longer. For example, users who are just following childhood friends might suddenly use the site a lot more if they are inspired to follow favorite athletes, controversial politicians, or colorful celebrities.
This is just one of several changes introduced to Twitter recently. Another tweak entailed highlighting tweets deemed to be important, and the firm has also made some changes to its executive team. Twitter has also redesigned its mobile website to coincide with the launch of the new Connect tab.
