Twitter, the social network erroneously given credit for uprisings in Egypt and Syria, may have crossed a Blue Line of its own in a new update. The social network has changed the way it displays conversations to its users, most notably adding a blue line to group tweets together. As with any social network update, users are not happy, and they’re expressing their quiet rage across the social network.
Twitter updated its app for iOS, Android and web applications with a conversation feature. The feature is designed to make the transition to Twitter more comfortable for new users. Previously Twitter displayed conversations in reverse chronological order. The new update groups conversations with a Blue Line, making them appear more like conversations on messaging applications.
Twitter crosses the Blue Line
The change has, like the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) timeline debacle, resulted in massive popular outrage. Plenty of the network’s users expressed their dislike for the new feature in Tweets today, and the tech world is buzzing with the problems at the social network.
This is not the first time that Twitter made a big mistake in a user update. The Twitter quick bar was added to the company’s iOS application back in 2011, and was discarded less than a month later, after users expressed their distaste for the feature. Twitter is likely to take a wait-and-see approach with the Blue Line, but it may not be around by the end of September, particularly if users continue to react like they have today.
The Blue Line problem might disappear in a few days, but, given the nature of social networks, it could go viral. Facebook users are still complaining about the company’s change to the Timeline user interface to this day.
Twitter IPO on the way
With Twitter heading toward an probable IPO next year, a problem between the company and its users could cause investors to shy away from the microblogging site, and reduce its value when it goes public.
There’s no telling when Twitter will go public, or if this Blue Line problem will cause it any harm in the long term. The occurrence does show the problems a social network can have balancing updates with user satisfaction.
