If you're a Twitter user, you undoubtedly love it. If you're not, you probably either hate it, or find it confusing. Today Twitter launches Moments in a bid to make itself more appealing to beginners by helping to provide a gentle step up into the crazy world of tweets, and by bringing context to timelines.
Times they are a-changing at Twitter with Jack Dorsey now the fulltime CEO, and the prospect of curated content from reputable sources could be what is needed to take things to the next level. Part of the problem with Twitter is the sheer volume of content that is out there -- and it is generated very quickly; for newbies, it can be completely overwhelming. Moments is an attempt to cut through the crap and present news and stories in a meaningful and accessible way.
Moments might sound familiar, and that's because this is the official launch of what was previously known as Project Lightning. In offering curated content, the hope is that those who have been put off by the perceived complexity of the service will be lured back. Initially only launching in the US, Moments is available on Android, iPhone, and the desktop site.
The real aim of Moments is given away by its name -- the idea is to provide at-a-glance information. After tapping on a Moment of interest (it could be about a breaking news story, a sporting event, or just about anything else) an introduction brings the reader up to speed straight away. Then it is possible to swipe through curated tweets, images, and videos without the need to hunt through your timeline or scan for hashtags.
Introducing the new feature, Twitter says:
Moments are often updated as new information or great Tweets become available. You’ll know a story has been updated since your last view when you see a blue dot in the upper righthand corner of the image associated with the Moment. For stories that update very frequently -- like live sporting events or awards shows where it’s critical to know what’s happening minute by minute -- you’ll see an option to follow the Moment, which blends the Tweets directly into your timeline.
There are a number of partners working with Twitter at the moment -- including Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, Fox News, Getty Images, Mashable, NASA, New York Times, Vogue, and the Washington Post -- and this will grow over time. While this is a US launch for the time being, Moments can be shared just like any other Twitter content. This means that people in other parts of the world will be able to experience the feature before it officially launches in their country.