Twitter announces ‘Custom Timelines’, lets users curate collections of tweets on any subject

Twitter has announced a new custom timeline feature that will allow users to curate feeds by dragging and dropping individual tweets. The feature is coming first to Tweetdeck, but the company is also releasing a beta API that will allow developers to tap into the feature.

Custom timelines will have their own links and can also be embedded on other sites. Twitter says the feature will roll out over the next few days to TweetDeck on the Web, Chrome and PC, while an updated Mac app is “coming soon.”

The solution should serve as a decent alternative to the existing lists feature, while also putting some pressure on Storify. For instance, custom timelines could be used for Q&As, breaking news and tracking commentary alongside sporting and entertainment events.

When the feature goes live, you’ll be able to create a custom timeline by adding a new column in Tweetdeck. Then simply drag tweets over from your other columns to populate the timeline. Other users will be able to see your custom timelines on your Tweetdeck profile card.

Twitter’s decision to push the feature out via Tweetdeck is an interesting one. The feature is bound to appeal to power users, many of whom will already use Tweetdeck, so it’s a natural fit. The company could conceivably satisfy both mainstream users and power users by packing pro-level features into Tweetdeck. Twitter could then pursue media-rich features like image previews and conversation threads on its main site, while using Tweetdeck to preserve the curation and information density that its core users crave.

➤ Custom timelines in Tweetdeck

Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images