Shortly after Twitter introduced its “Twitter 101” site as an attempt to introduce more corporate users to the site, it has given its main website a complete visual overhaul.
The new version places a search box in the middle of the screen, with the words “See what people are saying about…” above it. When a user inputs search criteria, the results are placed on the same page.
Additionally, the site provides a number of “trending topics”, giving examples of hot topics that people are searching for on the site. The site also provides a short description of why that particular topic is popular at that time.
Interestingly, the changes only apply to the main page and not for users who are already logged in to the site. This is likely an attempt to make the services more accessible to new users, as recent stolen documents from Twitter indicate it is looking to grow its user base rather rapidly over the next few years, with a goal to reach one billion users by 2014.
What are your thoughts on Twitter? Leave your comments on the forum’s ‘Hot Topic of the Week’ for your chance to receive a free of Tim Harcourt’s book ‘The Airport Economist’.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
