back to article Gasp! Twitter displays pictures in main feed as IPO looms

Twitter is clogging up its timeline with pictures after modifying its service to make it more "visual". It's a clear move to prepare its users for more ads now that the company is about to go public on Wall Street. Up until yesterday, anyone wanting to share videos or photos on the micro-blogging site, founded in 2006, could …

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  1. Jim 59

    Twitter adification

    Sad but unavoidable I guess. The business model requires adverts. When are companies going to offer paid-for, ad-free services? I would pay for ad free twitter, and a Facebook equivalent with real privacy, but they don't exist. Perhaps they never will.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Twitter adification

      The problem, as I think it's seen by Twitter et al, is that you = 1 and everyone else = billions.

    2. Professor Clifton Shallot

      Re: Twitter adification

      " I would pay for ad free twitter"

      This might be straightforward enough for them to actually offer it - question is how much would you pay?

      As for Facebook it just doesn't look compatible with real privacy to me - if it has any purpose (and I am not making any claims on this point) it's to share as widely as possible, if you take that away you might as well just have a privately-hosted blog with user account access controls.

    3. Stephen 2

      Re: Twitter adification

      Adblock Plus - Free plugin for all major browsers.

      1. El Presidente

        Re: Twitter adification

        Also free: Don't use twitter. No plugin required.

        edit: No changes, just playing with the new edit button.

        edit edit: Thus new featyre shuld weed oit a lot of spolling mutakes.

  2. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

    A picture may be worth 1000 words

    but how do you get it into 140 characters?

  3. Simon Buttress

    It's an option

    You can switch off the preview y'know, it's in the settings.

    1. lglethal Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: It's an option

      Right up until the IPO when it will not be able to be switched off as that would upset the admen and consequently the stock holders.

      1. Simon Buttress

        Re: It's an option

        Aye maybe, but for now it is an option that I have exercised. Some of the accounts I follow I'd prefer not to appear in picture, at least straight away.

    2. Michael Hutchinson

      Re: It's an option

      Where is it in the settings on the website? I've scoured every setting and can't find one to turn it off.

      In the meantime, I'm using this greasemonkey script instead: http://userstyles.org/styles/94605/hide-twitter-timeline-image-previews

      1. Steve Knox
        Joke

        Re: It's an option

        Twitter has a website? C'mon, next you'll be telling me FaceBook and LinkedIn do, too...

      2. starkey
        FAIL

        Re: It's an option

        According to this page:

        http://mashable.com/2013/10/29/turn-off-twitters-photo-preview/

        You need to use a mobile app to turn it off, and not the desktop version.

  4. Elmer Phud

    Facebook Lite?

    Pics of cats to clog Twitters' servers?

  5. Richard Wharram

    Clients?

    Meh. Tweetlogix still works fine. Can't remember the last time I used the website or official client.

  6. JDX Gold badge

    Picture size

    If there are restrictions so you can't post massive images, I don't see this being a bad new feature. Having to click on links is annoying and shortened URLs are never trustworthy.

    It'll make a twitter version of 4chan much more possible too :)

  7. BlueGreen

    request to el reg

    dja think you might perhaps not use animated gifs, they are very distracting.

    Ta everso.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: request to el reg

      Yeah, and the colour red. Having to read it on a computer screen is rather a strain too, couldn't you make the site black & white and arrange to sent printed copies around, perhaps on a weekly basis?

    2. Sebastian A

      Re: request to el reg

      As The Reg said, "the site just became a lot noisier." They weren't talking about twitter though.

      Practise what you preach Reg. Hold yourself to a higher standard than other UK journalism organisations.

  8. TimChuma
    Thumb Down

    It fills me with terror

    There is not the content checking you get with Facebook, I don't want to get fired for scrolling the wrong thing.

    "Just don't use Twitter at work" is what some people would say, I already do not use Facebook and just keep Twitter on in the background. "Don't follow that woman who likes to post photos of her G-cups", but where's the fun in that?

    It is irritating that there is no way to turn it off either. Expecting users to change their behaviour is no way to run a system, just look at the Myki ticketing system in Melbourne.

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