Social network Twitter recently unveiled a new feature for its app that will present users with personalised recommendations for accounts they may wish to follow.
With inspiration coming from the @magicrecs project – which analysed the people an individual follows to see what they chose to retweet – the new push notifications are expected to be accurate in predicting what users will be interested in.
Writing in TechCrunch yesterday, the site’s senior editor, Matthew Panzarino, said he believes the notifications could be “genuinely useful”, adding:
“I’ve been a follower of the [@magicrecs] account for some time now.
“Nearly every recommendation of a tweet or user account has been spot on, and I’ve felt no hesitation telling folks about it. It’s so scary good that I learn about new hires at companies within seconds, sometimes even before the official announcements.
“I’ve yet to unfollow any accounts that I’ve followed because of it.”
Venu Satuluri, who was involved with the Twitter team which built the @magicrecs account, said the new notification feature’s algorithms had been tweaked over time to present users with the most useful, relevant recommendations.
When it is rolled out formally, users will still be able to turn off the push notifications in the app’s settings.
TechCrunch’s Panzarino said the new feature is just what the social network needs to remain popular and keep its users interacting, adding that it’s up to individuals to make Twitter engaging by following accounts and news suppliers for the most interesting content.
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