Twitter recently added a new feature called "Popular Articles." It promises to be a place for users to conveniently see links to top news, based on popularity and the number of shares. While many may find the update useful, some say that there are third-party apps that can do this better. Could the new feature actually get much use?
A built-in news aggregator
One great aspect about Twitter (and Facebook, similarly) is that one can easily share links to news articles. One just pastes the link and Twitter presents it in a neat little headline with a thumbnail.
This model is excellent for people who want to share interesting reads to their friends. It's also a good way to propagate news updates, especially if one has tons of followers.
This is why it's probably not surprising to see that Twitter has rolled out the new update specifically made for articles. And we find that the update is as simple as its name suggests.
Basically, "Popular Articles" aggregates the most shared articles in Twitter all in one place. According to a report by The Verge, this new feature works kind of like Nuzzel, an app that was launched in 2014. Nuzzel is a third-party app that works with Twitter and its core purpose is to aggregate articles as well.
'Popular Articles' is not quite as good as Nuzzel yet
In the same report it was said that Twitter's "Popular Articles" update is not as good as Nuzzel yet. One of the minor reasons is that "Popular Articles" seems to be very basic.
It's a feature that was introduced without much fanfare. Because it is buried beneath other features like Search, Trending Topics, and "Moments," Popular Articles is not something that sticks out.
As a result, people who are unaware of the feature could easily miss it.
Popular Articles also lacks the polish and utility that Nuzzel had. For example, Nuzzel gives users relevant information about the news article shared. It gives users details, like who shared the article, the time and date it was shared, and also if there are added commentary on the tweet.
You don't get these details on Twitter's Popular Articles. Instead, what you get are the number of shares the article got, counted within your pool of followers. The Verge describes the list as "bare-bones," at least compared to what the third-party app offered.
Still, it's a good thing that Twitter had the initiative to offer this kind of update. For one, they offer a simple alternative to people who do not want to use Nuzzel. Whatever flaws the Popular Articles feature might have now can always be updated in the future.
