Twitter Communities, the interest-based private networking feature launched last year, will now get its own algorithm-based timelines, similar to Twitter’s home timeline where the most relevant and engaging conversations will appear. . The company announced on Wednesday that it would begin testing this option in communities across iOS, Android and the web, initially with a select group of users.
In this test, the algorithm-based timeline will be called the “For You” feed, while the timeline will be called the “Last” feed. Users will be able to switch between the two options, Twitter notes, and any options you set for a particular community will become the default each time you return to this group.
The company said the option will help users keep up with the main conversations in high-activity communities. He then pointed to communities such as a Harry Styles fan group, a cooking community, and the Xbox community as examples.
However, according to our experience in more than 20 communities, the problem is not struggling to keep up with all the conversations that take place, but the problem is the lack of conversation.
But these new timeline options could also help fix this, as any compromised tweet could be uploaded to the top of the channel. This could help make a quieter community look more active.
The idea behind Twitter communities was to create a space within Twitter’s largest public social network where people could connect with others who share the same interests. But in reality, there’s a lot of overlap between Communities and another Twitter feature, Themes, that helps people discover the conversation on a particular topic by customizing their feed with tweets, events, and even ads related to Topics that follow. In other words, if you’re just looking to tune in to the conversation about Apple or startups, for example, you can follow this topic as well.
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While communities could allow users to connect more directly with people who regularly post on a particular topic, Twitter decided to implement the feature in a weird, semi-public format. Your Tweets in Communities are public, but only other members of the community can respond. This design choice may be limiting participation, as users may not feel comfortable making their niches public. And because community tweets are associated with your main Twitter identity, you still feel as exposed as when you post on the global public channel.
If you’re in the test group, you’ll be able to choose how you want to see your community timelines from a new setting in the top right corner of each community page, says Twitter, just like on the main Twitter page. chronology.
The change follows other updates to communities, such as giving mods and administrators the ability to pin their community tweets (web), adding community search (web and iOS), removing members from mod / administrator (on web and Android) and member search (on all platforms).
Twitter notes that more features will be deployed in communities over the coming months as the feature develops further, a statement that seems to contradict a bit the latest Bloomberg report that is now working on consumer-oriented features such as spaces, communities, and newsletters. reduced in the midst of a wider restructuring.