Twitter Launches Custom Timelines, Changes the Conversation

Twitter just launched custom timelines, a new type of timeline that allows users to curate a list of specifically arranged tweets for public view.

Custom timelines allow users to curate a list of tweets around a specific subject,  cutting down on the noise of a traditional Twitter feed. This changes how companies and individuals can create conversations and engage with users.

Tweets in a custom timeline can be displayed in any order, breaking the chronological mold of regular timelines and allowing the most important tweets to be seen first.

The changes compete with Storify, a popular third-party service that allows users to save and organize tweets off of the Twitter website. Custom timelines appear to be more advanced, although Storify allows users to add comments to tweets and incorporate Facebook, creating a more complete story. Twitter allows users to only add tweets, a title, and a brief description of the timeline.

Custom timelines are currently only available through TweetDeck, although changes in the Twitter API are expected that will open custom timelines to other third-party apps.

Users individually select and arrange tweets to add to a custom timeline, although that process may evolve. In the future, partners with API access could potentially create a timeline that automatically updates with tweets from specific users, topics and hashtags.

Ready to jump in? Click here to make your own custom timeline.

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