Twitter's new profile page focuses on images, popular tweets

Earlier rumors that Twitter was abandoning its simple profile layout for a more Facebook-like redesign have been confirmed. Twitter launched its newest design of user profiles on Tuesday.

In a blog post titled "Coming soon: a whole new you, in your Twitter profile," Twitter explains that the redesign will allow users to express who they are in an easier -- and more fun -- way.

Not entirely a huge shock, the profile redesign comes after the social media site rolled out a new design for the homepage. Resembling the company's mobile version of the site, it had the user's header photo -- from their profile page -- behind their profile image. The now-larger toolbar on the top of the page used to be black, but was changed to white.

In February, Mashable reported that one of its editors spotted a design of the Twitter profile page that was being tested amongst a select group of users. Very reminiscent of Facebook and Google+, the tech news site noted that the redesign had "greater focus a greater focus on photos and content cards," moving away from its signature vertical timeline,

Indeed bearing a striking similarity to Facebook's Timeline layout, the redesign will allow users to use a large profile picture, customize their header and show off their best tweets -- updates that have received more engagement will be larger. It also will allow users to "pin" certain tweets to the top of the page and allow for their followers to choose which timeline to view, including "Tweets," "Tweets with photos/videos" or "Tweets and replies."

"This new profile setup is available today to a small group of users. If you're new to Twitter, you'll start in with the new profile," writes David Bellona, a designer at Twitter. "In the coming weeks, we will roll out the new features to everyone."

Certain web profiles have already gotten the redesign, including those of First Lady Michelle Obama, boxer Floyd Mayweather and "Scandal" actress Kerry Washington.

This change also follows Twitter's attempt to make its site more social. Last month, Twitter rolled out an update to its smartphone app, adding two features: photo tagging and the ability to include up to four photos in a tweet.

Lately, social media sites have undergone some drastic changes. Facebook finally unveiled its site's redesign, announced a year ago. Dramatically different than what was originally announced -- people who tested it told the company that they found it more difficult to navigate -- the redesigned News Feed kept the layout and navigation people liked, but offered bigger images and photos, as well as a new font.