Twitter is all set to get a new avatar, at least as far as user profiles are concerned. The platform has announced that user profiles will now be getting a brand new “About” tab, to give a better look into an account. The new tabs will be made available to the left of the Tweets tab, and will primarily be used for information that goes deeper than what is generally included in the bio, about the account holder. This information can range from user’s pronouns (as social media platforms move to become more friendly to the gender gamut), interests and hobbies, their locations, and more.
Speaking on the change, Andrea Conway, Lead Designer at the company’s Identity & Profiles Team, has said that this will be the first “meaningful update” that the profile section will get, since 2014. She has said that the new tab will make the design of the platform more spacious, so that the profile, which is supposed to be the key to a person, becomes more expressive.
Twitter is also visualizing the About tabs to be gateways to increased interactions between accounts in the future, either in the form of specific tags and areas, like Spaces or Topics, or something else that the platform has not yet announced.
Conway has said that the new feature will allow users to better know whom to trust, and whom to look forward to, on Twitter. This will be made possible by allowing others to know whether your account is confirmed (or verified through your official mobile number or email). She added, “We think it’s important to know not only who an account is, and the information they’ve shared proactively, but also what an account is into — because we think that if you’re interested in an account, you might also be interested in what they’re interested in. And this space has the potential to make that a whole lot easier.”
This new announcement comes alongside the announcement of a cool new modification to Twitter’s Account Verification guidelines. It will now be accepting user applications for getting accounts verified, that is, for getting the blue tick mark badge that’s commonly seen on the accounts of high public interaction, or those of public figures and celebrities.
The applications will be made through the Account Settings tab, and users will get a response from Team Twitter within one to four weeks. Approved users will be provided with the badge, while rejected applicants can reapply again in 30 days.
The application process was in place earlier as well, but was put on hold back in 2017. The reason was the alleged misconception that the badge, which was meant to signify authentic accounts, meant a higher preference or superiority on the platform. Since then, the platform had silently been verifying the accounts of public figures, without an official application system, up until now.
As of now, accounts that are eligible to apply for the verification must fall within one of six categories, namely, Government; Companies, brands and organizations; News organizations and journalists; Entertainment; Sports and gaming; and Activists, organizers and other influential individuals. This list will later be expanded, the company has said. Further, each specific category has its own sets of rules for applying, which must be adhered to. This is especially true for the Other Influential Individuals category, wherein the eligibility will require terms related to Twitter activity, as well as off-site actions.
Additionally, verified accounts will be held accountable for their posts, and any accounts seen to violate the Twitter Rules, will have to let go of their badge.
