Twitter Is Testing Out Custom Timelines From Third-Party Developers
Twitter Is Testing Out Custom Timelines From Third-Party Developers
Twitter is testing custom timelines that may be curated by the social-media company or third-party developers and are centered on common interests and events.
The Popular Videos Timeline created by Twitter, for instance, "uses similar information to how we select topics to populate and order video content," according to a post in the Twitter help center.
Twitter trendspotter Jane Manchun Wong spotted the custom timelines last month and said they suggest that the social network might be opening its algorithm to outside companies.
Twitter didn't immediately respond to a request for additional comment, though its help site confirms it's working on curated feeds.
"These custom feeds run parallel to the Home timeline and appear on a separate tab after you adopt the themed Timeline from a prompt," the help site post explained. Users can switch between tabs to control the content they see.
"Third-party tools created by developers add new functionalities and can enhance your Twitter experience," the help site post said. "These tools are self-serve and many are free to use."
The post reiterated that testing of custom timelines, from both Twitter's internal team and outside developers, is in the early stages. Right now the test timelines are available to only a limited number of users in Canada and the US accessing Twitter on the web.
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