Twitter tests displaying tweets out of chronological order

San Francisco: Twitter Inc., which normally displays the most recent posts first, is experimenting with a new order that shows users the most relevant content first, like in Facebook Inc.’s news feed.

The change is meant to make Twitter easier for people who may visit the site less frequently, and would therefore miss the best tweets. It’s being tested with a small percentage of users, many of whom are posting angrily on Twitter, saying they want to return to the original format.

“This is an experiment,” Twitter said in a statement. “We’re continuing to explore ways to surface the best content for people using Twitter.”

Twitter has already rearranged the chronology of its posts on a smaller scale, with a “While you were away” section at the top of a stream of 140-character limited tweets. The current test expands that effort. Once people swipe down on their mobile apps to refresh their content, the timeline of posts goes back into reverse chronological order.

New chief executive officer (CEO) Jack Dorsey has been encouraging the San Francisco-based social-media company to think of ways to make the product less confusing to casual users. The most dedicated Twitter users spend all day checking the site, figuring out who to follow and interacting with others. But with user growth slowing, the company needs to tailor the product to those who may not want to do so much work, he has said.

“You will see us continue to question our reverse chronological timeline, and all the work it takes to build one by finding and following accounts,” Dorsey said in the most recent earnings call with investors.

Twitter shares, which declined 30% this year, gained 2.2% to $24.99 at the close in New York. Bloomberg