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In case you hadn’t heard (or read), Twitter.com is changing its interface.
Preliminary reports suggest that there will be a wider right sidebar, giving you more room to display your followers and following count, as well as your list count.
In addition, you’ll have access to more robust recommendations.
But, perhaps, the most significant change will be the inclusion of pictures, videos, and [possibly] audio, right in your tweetstream. No longer will you have to use a 3rd party service to provide this type of content in Twitter.
You’ll have the option to turn this feature on and off, determining whose non-text content actually shows up on your page and in your tweetstream.
Twitter is also adding a map and geolocation feature, which will also show up in your right sidebar. In addition, if you link to a product, that will also show up in the detail pane, right in Twitter.
Basically, what it seems like Twitter is trying to do is make the site easier to use, with more relevant information. All this while decreasing the reliance on third party services.
What it seems like, to me, is that Twitter is going to become kind of a hybrid between Facebook, Amazon.com, and Foursquare. Certainly, it will be including a certain level of functionality present in all those other sites.
So what does this mean for you, the user?
1) If you have a custom background or custom Twitter page, you might need to redesign it. This is to accommodate the increased width of the new sidebars.
2) You’ll have an easier time finding people to follow, and in understanding why you should follow them. This means you may find it easier to grow your network on Twitter.
3) You’ll have the opportunity to experience rich media directly on the site, saving you some clicks and (possibly) some time.
Now, since most people respond negatively to change, at least at first, it will be interesting to see whether people love or hate the redesign.
As it rolls out, let me know what you think.
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Just read a fascinating article on the link between time, money, and happiness.
The article cites some psychological research which looks at how time, money, and happiness are related. You can read the whole article, of course, but if you don’t have time (!) let me summarize the main points. People experience different degrees of happiness based on how they perceive time and money.
When people are thinking about time, they tended to socialize more and work less. When they had been primed with the concept of money, they tended to work more and socialize less. The implications of the study suggest that people who think about time tend to be happier and more connected than those who think only about money.
When people think about time, and how they spend their time, they tend to behave in more connected ways. Being more connected and having more connections tends to lead to a greater sense of happiness.
As people become increasingly concerned about the return on investment of social media, it may be wise to focus on both time and money. Of course, as a business, your main focus may need to be on money, at least most of the time. But if you are using social media to build your personal network and connections, you may feel happier and more contented if you focus not just on the money you make from social media, but, also, on the connections and contacts you build and grow.
This has important implications for how satisfied you feel with your social media use.
What I’ve seen in my business is that personal connections are worth cultivating because they, very often, lead to new opportunities and new business.
If you want to be happier, focus on time and how deep the connections are with your social media networks. I believe this focus on time at the beginning will bring you more money in the end.
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