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Do you remember logging onto Twitter last month to find Twitter completely changed the way you favourite a tweet?

Ok, it wasn’t a significant change, but it was noticeable: the favourite icon was replaced by the all too familiar heart.

By now, you’re probably used to the change. You may have even forgotten the change happened, but we wanted to find out what motive was behind the Twitter swap.

It’s easier to understand

The favourite existed for a few reasons:

It enticed users to literally favourite a quirky tweet or comment;
It gave users the opportunity to bookmark the tweet to read a link later;
It’s a way to essentially support the author by favouriting what they’re saying, indicating you agree.

People who have been using Twitter for years have grown to understand how the favourite works. It was established in 2006, around the same time Twitter was born, enabling users to get used to it and use it in ways they saw fit. That doesn’t mean, however that all social media users got it, hence the change.

Why a heart

A heart is symbolic and a widespread recognizable icon, more so than a star. This universal symbol is understood across all generations, cultures and languages, which according to Twitter, makes it a better fit for its purpose.

The change wasn’t out of the blue

It seemed like one day we were favouriting tweets and liking them the next, but it wasn’t an overnight decision for Twitter. In fact, the social media giant had spent time researching and testing the replacement of favourites with likes as far back as 2012.

Tests confirmed the heart was in the running to replace the beloved star because it was used more often as opposed to the star.

Here’s what Twitter had to say on its blog:

“We want to make Twitter easier and more rewarding to use, and we know that at times the star could be confusing, especially to newcomers. You might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favourite.”

It’s consistent with other popular social media channels

Those who have been using social media for years recognize the ‘like’ not because it’s a universal symbol, but for the simple fact that it’s found on other social media mediums like Instagram and Periscope.

Facebook has its own ‘like’ button, but not in the form of a heart.

Will it entice new users?

Although testing began in 2012, the need for change became more apparent this year because Twitter has been struggling to recruit new users. Since Twitter wanted to make its platform more user-friendly, the change seemed like a smart move.

But will it have an impact on the new users Twitter desires?

According to a study by FiveThirtyEight, hearts are among the most popular emojis on Twitter. It’s also one of the most commonly used emojis ever, so it’s a logical step. That familiarity can ease the transition into the social media world for newcomers. Will you be one of them?

Intact Marketing can introduce you to Twitter

Maybe you’re new to the Twitter world, or have Twitter and don’t know how to operate it. That’s where Intact Marketing comes in. It’s our job to be experts when it comes to social media. We’re here to help you activate social media accounts and manage them for you.

Twitter is one of the most popular networking sites and can be a very useful tool in helping you grow your business. After all, your competitors are likely on Twitter right now.

Rather than spend your free time trying to understand Twitter and identify how to use it to grow your business, let us do the work. We’ll manage your profile and help you gather more followers so your business can develop an online reputation.

We have a variety of packages and plans that will suit your needs. Visit our website for an overview and to learn more about how we can work for you.

With the many social media channels, rules and changes, it’s hard to keep up. That’s why Intact Marketing is here.

How does Twitter compare against Facebook when it comes to online activity? If we are comparing the Facebook population to the Twitter followers, it shows that while the two are similar in many respects but at the same time there are some crucial differences of interest to marketers and others looking to mine the data and pick a favourite platform.

The biggest difference would be that Twitter users seem to be more active, but less interested in following brands.

I found it that Facebook is like a class reunion. Twitter is like a huge roundtable discussion. The big question is which is better for business.

Of course since these stats were performed we all know that Facebook has far more than 600 million total users. In July of 2010 it declared it had 500 million monthly active users – who had actively used the service within the previous 30 days, meaning there would be more users who had not used the service in that period, not included in that number.

Whereas Twitter’s 106 or 190 million numbers are just the number of accounts created, which does not necessarily equate to real human users at all, due to the vast amount of spam accounts on the network, and those accounts that are completely/mainly inactive. Twitter never published their monthly active users (or a similar metric) – however, we know from other research that large amounts of accounts are inactive.

I found it interesting that those of a higher income don’t engage very highly in social networking than those of the lower income bracket. This indicates to me that these social media platforms may be used more for entrepreneurial advancement or that those who are more affluent have less spare time to “play on the computer”.

However there are no accurate stats about the mass effect of a “social networks” on overall country productivity? How many working hours do social networkers spend on these sites per day, months a year?

Whether we like it or not, it looks to me that social media platforms are here to stay and it affects how the next generations will socialize and communicate. We have to learn to use social media networks effectively to maximize their positive opportunities.

Which social platform is more appealing for you and why?

If you are looking how to leverage the benefits of Facebook vs Twitter for your business purposes, or you would like to learn more about how social media marketing can help your brand expand online, request an estimate and we will help you reach your online marketing goals. If you already have your social platforms running but don’t have to time to manage your networks properly, Intact Marketing provides monthly social media management plans. Contact us today with all your SEO and Social Media Marketing needs. We’re here to help you succeed online and offline.