jpg, 1600x1100, 72dpi (doesn't really matter with a jpg though) :)
Michael O'Connor Clarke
· 1 year ago
Wouldn't it be so much nicer if directly Twitter supported something like this themselves?
I mean, I do like what Rick, Darren and others have done on their Twitter pages, but at the same time it's really annoying that the only way to do this is with image files.
Look at all those seemingly useful but essentially useless URLs. Useful, as they give us pointers to other places of interest. Useless, simply because you can't click them or even select the text (as they're just images, well duh).
There has to be a better way.
Adam Ostrow
· 1 year ago
yah, exactly my point ...
Jeff Nolan
· 1 year ago
let's not go putting anything more than the basics on twitter for the moment!
Dylan
· 1 year ago
That custom background thing, while clever, fails on a number of levels. On my screen, Wayne Sutton's info (for example) gets cut off by his stream. God forbid if I'm reading that on an iPhone or something.
Also, there's no ability to cut and paste text from the background.
Why not simply use the URL and Bio fields in concert:
(Mr. Sutton, to his credit, does do this in addition to his background, but his homepage URL is more cluttered and the info is not as clear. He should have duplicated the basic look of his Twitter background on his own site.)
Being able to express yourself tersely is sort of a requirement for Twitter.
WayneSutton
· 1 year ago
Adam, thanks for the post and screenshot. Right now I just want twitter to work with out all the down time and seeing the "fail whale". But if twitter does add more features, HTML and css styled backgrounds would be nice.
Also the discussion of twitter users with thousands of followers monetizing their twitter profiles has been mentioned in the SEO community here in NC. The idea people like Scoble and others could sell ad space on the their backgrounds. Even though we could do it now with a custom background like the one featured.
But for now if you want your own social twitter background template you can download it here:
awesome, thanks Wayne. Gonna work on mine when the madness of Monday cools down :-)
dkemper
· 1 year ago
With talk of implementing HTML and CSS-styled backgrounds, or selling ad space on Twitter backgrounds, I am worried that our favourite microblogging tool will become a hideous MySpace design wreck, with blinking, screaming backgrounds and such. Let's limit how far we can personalize Twitter, and let's focus on information that Twitter catches and serves so nicely.
GeekMommy
· 1 year ago
While I admit that @waynesutton's page looks slick, I'm more inclined to go with the "Twitter Landing Page" that folks like @Pistachio have started using. Putting a specific URL to a page that is created only for users coming from Twitter. That way, all of that information and more can be on there, but also clickable.
I guess he could have designed it to fit with 1024x widths and could easily update it if he wanted it to fit with most everyone's viewing width. I doubt he does update it, though.
I haven't run a 1024x setting since before the year 2000, what kind of monitor are you running on? (laptop?)
martin english
· 1 year ago
yep 1024 x 768, on laptop and 17 inch flat screen. Not to mention N95 mobile phone.
Plus not actually linkable anyway....
SportsBizGuy
· 1 year ago
Thanks, Wayne!
WayneSutton
· 1 year ago
So far here is the list of Extended twitter backgrounds
Pretty novel idea, except I'm not sure how many in the Twitterverse actually look at others' profiles (or visit the site at all, for that matter). Still, did mine for my own sake: http://www.twitter.com/realjames Looks terrible on 1024x768, though. Agree with Martin.
Michael
· 1 year ago
I've seen a few users doing this but the idea of having a standardized template is pretty interesting. I probably won't be doing this to my profile though because I like the simplicity.
Easy enough - and I 'branded' it to match my blog.
Who cares if it doesn't work across the resolutionscape or who does/doesn't look at it? If you've got 1/2 an ounce of Photoshop chops, it'll take you an hour, tops. Worth every second.
Will def. give it a go even though I'm not quite sure whether or not I want Twitter to move in a more user profile-centric direction.
/Alex
Roxanne Darling
· 1 year ago
You've gathered a number of great ones and I LOVE the idea of the Flickr group. :-)
I do think however that @philcampbell may have been one of the pioneers - he has had this page for over a year.
At the other end of the time-space continuum, my Secret Cameraman and partner is just released: @shane though I did like the animated gif he had way back when, inspired by @kosso though his is no longer animated either.
Andy Mabbett
· 1 year ago
Why would I want to display non-clickable, non-copyable images of URLs on my profile?
To me it falls into the "better than nothing" category, as so many people are using Twitter a central hub or place to meet other people - and just having a web site link means more work for me the viewer. Yes, the "bonus profile" links are not clickable, but I do get to see at a glance where this person hangs out, a BIGGER picture, and/or any other details they want to show me. It's a great personalization hack that isn't perfect yet, but is a creative step in a more expressive, useful direction IMO.
It also does nudge me a little more to visit a person's page on the web - there may be a little reward for doing so!
Andy Mabbett
· 1 year ago
@Roxanne Darling but it's not a choice of that or nothing - there's already a perfectly good place on your profile to put the URL of you own website or blog; such that it then becomes a proper web link.
Laura "Pistachio" Fitton
· 1 year ago
@ethnicomm made me a lovely extended background modeled after his own:
I don't know about gurus, when I created my own twitter background with a foxkeh.com wallpaper & Linux(tux),GNU,Firefox,Wordpress logos (to show my love to them) I didn't know anyone who had a custom background.
TwitBacks
· 12 months ago
TwitBacks.com allows you to easily create your own custom Twitter background in less than 2 minutes. Upload your logo, photo, add about text, etc. and TwitBacks will automatically melt it all into a Twitter background.
Matthew Heinrich
· 5 months ago
Good web design/development has a maxim that is applicable here: Separate content from presentation.
All Comments
I mean, I do like what Rick, Darren and others have done on their Twitter pages, but at the same time it's really annoying that the only way to do this is with image files.
Look at all those seemingly useful but essentially useless URLs. Useful, as they give us pointers to other places of interest. Useless, simply because you can't click them or even select the text (as they're just images, well duh).
There has to be a better way.
Also, there's no ability to cut and paste text from the background.
Why not simply use the URL and Bio fields in concert:
URL: http://sitewithmybio.com/muyinfo
Bio: I do x, Y, and Z. Follow my URL for more info!
(Mr. Sutton, to his credit, does do this in addition to his background, but his homepage URL is more cluttered and the info is not as clear. He should have duplicated the basic look of his Twitter background on his own site.)
Being able to express yourself tersely is sort of a requirement for Twitter.
Also the discussion of twitter users with thousands of followers monetizing their twitter profiles has been mentioned in the SEO community here in NC. The idea people like Scoble and others could sell ad space on the their backgrounds. Even though we could do it now with a custom background like the one featured.
But for now if you want your own social twitter background template you can download it here:
http://www.box.net/shared/lgw2pz4gso
W
That way, all of that information and more can be on there, but also clickable.
http://twitter.com/Ross
I guess he could have designed it to fit with 1024x widths and could easily update it if he wanted it to fit with most everyone's viewing width. I doubt he does update it, though.
I haven't run a 1024x setting since before the year 2000, what kind of monitor are you running on? (laptop?)
Plus not actually linkable anyway....
1. http://twitter.com/rickmahn
2. http://twitter.com/problogger
3. http://twitter.com/waynesutton
4. http://twitter.com/intentionally
5. http://twitter.com/coreyweb
6. http://twitter.com/ross
7 http://twitter.com/ vdegeorge
screenshot on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waynesutton/sets/7...
Came up with the idea for mine right away. Was a fun design to tackle.
Who cares if it doesn't work across the resolutionscape or who does/doesn't look at it? If you've got 1/2 an ounce of Photoshop chops, it'll take you an hour, tops. Worth every second.
Thanks so much for the templates!
Will def. give it a go even though I'm not quite sure whether or not I want Twitter to move in a more user profile-centric direction.
/Alex
I do think however that @philcampbell may have been one of the pioneers - he has had this page for over a year.
At the other end of the time-space continuum, my Secret Cameraman and partner is just released: @shane though I did like the animated gif he had way back when, inspired by @kosso though his is no longer animated either.
Thanks Phil
To me it falls into the "better than nothing" category, as so many people are using Twitter a central hub or place to meet other people - and just having a web site link means more work for me the viewer. Yes, the "bonus profile" links are not clickable, but I do get to see at a glance where this person hangs out, a BIGGER picture, and/or any other details they want to show me. It's a great personalization hack that isn't perfect yet, but is a creative step in a more expressive, useful direction IMO.
It also does nudge me a little more to visit a person's page on the web - there may be a little reward for doing so!
http://www.twitter.com/ethnicomm
http://www.twitter.com/pistachio
And as @geekmommy mentioned, I also built myself a Twitter profile page on my blog: http://pistachioconsulting.com/?page_id=211
I am wondering if I can use an animated GIF instead - to make it a bit more dynamic.
Thoughts?