Earlier this week, while searching on Twitter, I noticed that I couldn’t see activities based on people I follow when I clicked Discover. Instead I saw a list of trending topics with short descriptions and some analytics.
I had just been included in the rollout of an update where Twitter replaced its Discover tab with the new Tailored Trends feature.
With Tailored Trends, you see a list of trending hashtags, from serious (think #Hillary2016) to trivial (think #JonSnow). Some lightweight analytics (total tweets, trending direction) accompany each topic.
The Discover tab has been removed from both Android and iOS versions of the app. The rollout first began in the U.S. and is slowly expanding across the world.
With this update, Twitter’s desire to curate the most popular ideas and crazes is finally maturing.
Twitter’s Discover not relevant anymore
Twitter launched Discover in 2011, under the leadership of the co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. The functionality was introduced with the motive to present interesting content to users in an easy manner.
But it smacked of desperation because it often tried to squeeze in tweets into your network that didn’t feel too relevant. Twitter tried to make this section more personalized with the acquisition of Summify. But its functionality never really took off.
Hands-on with twitter’s trending feature:
Tapping into one of the trends will show you top real-time tweets about the topic, media, tweets by people you follow. For example, you might see “Coachella” in this new area, and have no clue the music fest was happening this week. With the new feature, Twitter can reveal more details of the trend once you click on it, such as the main account associated with it and the top media and tweets this hour.
It’s interesting to note that Twitter’s new trending feature is similar to Facebook’s trending section that lists surging topics on the network. According to an article published in WallStreet Journal, the new Twitter feature is similar to how Facebook includes a one-line description below trending items listed next to the news feed.
Explaining more about the new launch, the company states in its blog, “We know that trends aren’t always self-explanatory, so now you’ll see a description below each trend, Since trends tend to be abbreviations without context, like #NYFW, a description will make it clear that this trend is about New York Fashion Week. The new trends experience may also include how many Tweets have been sent and whether a topic is trending up or down.”
What does this mean for your B2B business?
The Twitter trends tool provides a handy area to quickly glean the major topics of the hour, or even the minute. If your line of work is inherently social, and you’re constantly reporting on social media news and updates, you need to be monitoring the viral topics/memes/news. You can’t afford to learn about a trending hashtag 10 hours later. The new feature gives you a quick recap of each topic, so you don’t even have to click on it to learn more. Save time by only dipping into conversations relevant to your business.
Also, take note how this feature can alert you to tech conferences or other events in your field. Hop on some of those online conversations to stay informed, stay relevant, keep engaged.
