Have you lost track of the people and businesses closest to you on Twitter? If you follow hundreds or more accounts, your answer is probably in the affirmative.
As Twitter continues to tinker with potential new layouts and designs, the company has reportedly introduced “Fave People” to some users.
Essentially, Fave People is a way of following your favorite Twitter users in a separate list. Of course, Twitter’s Lists feature already allows you to do this. But that feature isn’t the most user-friendly.
TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez observes:
“In other words, it’s not necessarily a more efficient means of building a list, compared with the built-in Twitter “Lists” function offered today. It’s really just using more accessible terminology (“Fave People”) to highlight the capabilities of that often overlooked feature.”
TechCrunch reports the new Fave People feature can be reached in a side-scrolling menu at the top of Twitter’s mobile alpha app, which is used by its testers.
Adding profiles to your Fave People list involves clicking a star icon. When you click the star associated with a profile, it’s added to your Fave People list. You can configure Fave People to send you notifications when Tweets are sent from the accounts you’ve selected, too.
The future of Fave People will likely depend on how it’s received by testers. If testers find the new service engaging, Fave People could find its way to everyone’s profile after the testing period ends. This would become another way of customizing your Twitter account and perhaps cutting down on the noise.
Twitter has been toying with other potential changes to its layout and user experience. For example, a new logo and a profile page that some believe looks a lot like Facebook may be in the offing at Twitter. The company even tested out the new profile look on some users’ accounts recently.
Twitter Photo via Shutterstock, Screenshot: TechCrunch
I don’t follow that many people on Twitter yet, but I can definitely see how a Fave People list would be of benefit.
I’m not clear though: will Fave People be a mobile app only?
Joshua Sophy
Not sure, ebele. Right now, it’s just being tested with some mobile users. I think if it’s implemented, it’d have to be on the desktop format, too. Not streamlining the two would probably be a mistake.
They’d be crazy not to implement it for desktops. Macs too. Time will tell though. Hope they do.
Aira Bongco
I agree with Ebele. If this will only be implemented on mobile devices then it will be putting limits on its usage.
Aira: There’s what makes sense and there’s what doesn’t. I wouldn’t put it past Twitter landing on either side. Their justification for keeping it strictly mobile might be because so many people have smartphones these days. But still, there’s a whole heap of folks on their desktops, so I hope they don’t lose sight of that.
Seems like an effort to get users to more easily create a list (since the current lists aren’t very user friendly either).
Joshua Sophy
I agree, Robert. There’s got to be an easier way. I dread the thought of updating any lists I’ve created to include new Follows.
Aira Bongco
This can also serve as a good marketing tool for Twitter. With this, Twitter will be able to see the most faved Twitter users. After all, these days, the number of followers does not matter as much as their responsiveness.
Joshua Sophy
Personally, I don’t see this alone being the most effective addition to Twitter. For instance …
If I have, let’s say, 1400 people/ficititious people/inanimate objects I follow, at some point I envision myself adding close to half of them to my “Fave People” list once I see a Tweet I really like. So now I’ve essentially created one list of 1400 Tweeters and another list of about 500 or more Tweeters.
It’s still a boggling amount of information streaming.
Now, I can see keeping Fave People but there needs to be a just-as-easy way to add any account I see Tweeting to any one of my lists.
I would also like the ability to place these lists where I want on my desktop-version Twitter homepage. I ask for a lot, though …
Hopefully, Joshua, those who are testing the application in its current phase will feedback with some of what you’ve mentioned.
Martin Lindeskog
When will this service be rolled out for all users?