Twitter came late to the party with the option for what they’re calling a “header photo”, but those of us who have been using Facebook are experienced with the idea of cover photos. Even Google+ has this option.

So what’s with the change to Twitter?  One could argue this change is an effort to monetize traffic, an ongoing struggle for Twitter.  The addition of a header photo (cover photo) makes Twitter more attractive to online brands, since brands have had great success in recent months using cover photos through other social media outlets.  Cover photos are often used to promote deals, sweepstakes, and introduce new products, and Twitter may be hoping that becoming more attractive to brands will lead to a greater and more predictable revenue stream.  Only time will tell.

As far as the response from Twitter users, the message is split.  Many users feel that the new Twitter update makes Twitter too much like Facebook.  An equal amount of users, however, are excited about the photo stream and the new app available on the Apple marketplace.  There are also a group of users who feel slighted that Twitter would favor iPhone users.  Below are some examples of the user reaction to the changes in Twitter: