Pinterest now plays nicely with Twitter
On the heels of Instagram pulling support for Twitter cards (expanded tweets which embeds images from links inside of the Twitter stream), Pinterest has added support for Twitter cards, so now when you scroll Twitter, you can preview all images shared from Pinterest to Twitter without clicking the link. Users will, of course, still have to visit Pinterest to view the source, notes, comments, and more, but this move implies a strengthening relationship between Pinterest and other social media players as the rise of the visual web continues to increase in prominence as the world turns to preferring images over walls of words.
What is most fascinating is that the company did so without any announcement, or even a blurb on their blog, rather smoothly transitioned into offering support so you can see Pinterest photos in your Twitter stream. According to DailyDot.com, a spokesperson confirmed that Pinterest added Cards support early last week.
It has been noted, however, that images of pins do not appear in Twitter’s “recent images” sidebar, which was one of Instagram’s major benefits, as busy professionals could stay busy (and look the part).
As all social media platforms do, Twitter is adding more visual interest, and the “me too” move to add photo filters to Twitter to compete with Instagram directly and Facebook indirectly is a smart move, and one a long time coming.
What’s next for Twitter? Is it becoming an Instagram? No. Is it becoming a Facebook? Kind of. Is it a good idea for Pinterest to play nicely with a competitor? Yes. Twitter’s methods are slow and deliberate, and changes come over months or years, and they will continue to be the short-form social media destination, and the more visual interest added, the better for their long term sustainability.
