Both Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter have about 1 billion users registered with each of their services. Considering the world’s population is somewhere around 7 billion, such a number is extraordinary to say the least. The numbers seem to show that these massive social networks are essentially neck to neck with one another. The only problem is, Facebook has 1.23 billion users that are active on a monthly basis, while Twitter (News - Alert), in truth, is filled with inactive users, with only a quarter of that billion being active on a monthly basis.

With Twitter falling behind their main competition, they have realized there is a need to spice things up a bit. Twitter has unveiled just how they are going to be doing this, with a revamp of their website. This isn’t just any revamp. The people at Twitter must have realized that the best way to compete with the likes of Facebook is to actually copy Facebook.

Twitter began testing their new design back in February, updating a few randomly selected users’ profiles without much press on the topic. Now the new design made it through testing, and Twitter has begun a process of gradually implementing the new profiles. All new users of Twitter will start out with the new design. The rest of us who already have Twitter will need to wait a little longer for their profiles to be changed over, however there are a few celebrities and individuals who have already received the change.

If you were to check out the new profiles of celebrities Channing Tatum, Zac Efron, or Floyd Mayweather, you will be sure to see some very familiar elements. Just open it with a Facebook profile page open in the next tab to see the similarities. You might even be confused as to which tab is Facebook or Twitter. On both websites, the top left has a square profile picture, with a large cover photo behind it. Underneath the profile photo, both websites have basic information about the user. There are small differences in layout, with photos on Twitter being below followers while Facebook does it the other way. The trends and “Who to Follow” section are also on the left, while Facebook does not have anything to the left.

There are other differences that do allow Twitter to differentiate itself a bit from Facebook. The old convenient toolbar of twitter, that allows users to check their direct messages, make posts or go back to their homepage from anywhere on the website, remains. It seems small, but having the ability to post on your own feed, without having to redirect yourself from halfway down Channing Tatum’s feed is convenient, which is what Twitter is supposed to be
 

Being just a layout revamp, it seems that Twitter won’t be changing how it works, just how it looks. There is still a bar with information about how many tweets someone has, their followers, and who they follow at the top of their profile. One new function will be added right below this section. Users will be able to filter which tweets they want to look at. Users can see all tweets, tweets with pictures, or just tweets that are involved in Twitter conversations.

It may be too early to say whether this new design will help Twitter, considering their Q4 loss in 2013. They are keeping the functionality of their site, but adding the appeal that Facebook has, which can definitely be a draw for new users. However, Facebook’s layout isn’t popular with everybody, and this can put people off. Another issue is that Twitter has been known for its minimalism, but with the new layout that can no longer be said. Only time will tell.