Twitter Launches ‘Happening Now’ Feature to Suggest Events & Topics of Interest
At a time when social media platforms seem to be a dime a dozen, ranging from the global behemoths to the countless niche networks, standing out from the crowd is undoubtedly vital if your venture is to survive. Even among the larger players in the field this need for some form of distinction or USP is present; a fact that is recognised by those behind the scenes.
Recently, Twitter have arguably made the most progress in
this regard, securing themselves a position as a leading source of
to-the-minute global news updates, a hub of celebrity interaction, and a prime
destination for sporting content in particular – as evidenced by their streaming
deals with the likes of the NFL,
NBA,
NHL and MLB. Their latest update will, in the long run, aim to capitalise on
all the aforementioned factors with the launch of ‘Happening Now’. Heavily reminiscent
of the platform’s existing ‘Moments’ feature, albeit a more personalised
version, the new feature will suggest events and topics which it thinks will be
relevant and of interest to any given user.
Initially rolling out in the US exclusively and focusing
solely on sporting content, Twitter plan to expand the feature to cover more
countries and topics in the near future.
Twitter announced the new feature with the following tweet:
Feel the roar of the crowd, no matter where you are.— Twitter (@Twitter) October 10, 2017
We're rolling out a new way to see what's happening now, starting with sports in 🇺🇸! Available on Android and iOS starting today. https://t.co/lmBFCK4DG0 pic.twitter.com/cv4wL8hCxA
A short message posted to their official website further explains, “You may see events
featured at the top of your timeline labelled as Happening Now. When
available, we’ll show you events and topics we think you might be interested in
when you open your Twitter for iOS or Android app.”
Tapping on the photo accompanying each topic suggestion will
allow you to see the conversation surrounding the event, stay up to date on
developments, and interact with fellow fans and other interested parties via
Twitter’s standard functionality. Also appearing alongside each topic is a
small downward-facing arrow icon. Selecting this icon will bring up a small
menu which allows you to see more information regarding the subject and why it
was suggested to you, or simply hide the topic entirely.
In the coming months the feature will extend beyond its
current parameters of US sporting events and begin to showcase entertainment-related
topics and general breaking news from across the globe.
What’s your opinion on the new feature? Will it serve a
useful purpose in providing personalised news updates to the platform’s users?
Or will it simply clog up news feeds with more unnecessary content that in all
likelihood could be found through the existing ‘Moments’ feature? Let us know
your thoughts on the matter.
Sam
is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers.
Currently working as Editor of Social Songbird, he hopes to one day drop that
'aspiring' prefix. Follow him @Songbird_Sam
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Twitter Launches ‘Happening Now’ Feature to Suggest Events & Topics of Interest
Reviewed by Unknown
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Friday, October 13, 2017
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Friday, October 13, 2017
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Aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He hopes to one day drop that 'aspiring' prefix. He started as a writer and soon after he was made Executive Editor and Manager of the team at Social Songbird. A position he held for 5 years.
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