This post is by Eric Burgess. A grad student at the UW, he’s studying for his Masters of Communication in Digital Media. Eric is a Social Media geek and recovering skateboarder, having spent the last few years blogging and building up communities in the action sports industry. When he’s not blogging about being a fashionable dad, he can be found spending time with his family, shopping, and tweeting.

By now everyone has had the new Twitter rolled out to them. If not, you’ll get it really soon. Right away you probably noticed how different it looks and how much less real estate there is to show off you or your company’s brand. While this is true, Twitter actually just got way more functional. Let’s dissect it some more.

The search bar is on top. I always thought the old search bar needed to be more visible. Now it’s far more prevalent at the very top. If you’ve never used the search feature, I encourage you to do so. It’s a great tool and the search queries are fast.

It’s wider. Fundamentally it’s still divided the same way: in two columns. You have your timeline of those who you follow on the left and you have information on who is following you and who you follow on the right. The “What’s happening?” tweet bar is still right where it was at the top.

Left column. The left column still shows all of your follower’s tweets, but there are now tabs just below your tweet bar: Timeline, @Mentions, Retweets, Searches and Lists. Each of these is clickable and when clicked on, their respective function populates in the column below.

Right column. Your Twitter avatar, number of tweets, and numbers of those you are following and those following you are still in the upper right. The only difference, there are avatars which show at random under the following/followers section. Your “listed” total is there as well and it includes lists of people that you were recently added to. Trends and suggestions on other profiles to check out are further down the right column as well.

Hot new feature. The coolest thing about the new design is that it allows for profile browsing without leaving the Twitter timeline. Before, if you were browsing tweets and wanted to look at a profile, you’d click on the avatar and it would take you away from your dashboard and directly to that user’s profile. Now you can easily click on a user’s avatar in the timeline on the left and the profile will display on the right.

Pros. It utilizes more space and allows you to multitask way more than before.

Cons. Background space to promote self or brand has all but disappeared. Read more here on how to redesign your background for the new Twitter.

In short? The new design rocks. I give it an 8 out of 10.

In addition to our eponymous Twitter account (@Projectline), we’ve got some wonderful consultants and social media pros Tweeting. Looking for great links about customer references, project management, or customer communities? Follow these folks for great conversation and content:

@kazab Customer marketing consultant & networking guru in Seattle interested in social media, PSAMA, networking, non-profits & anything going on in Belltown.

@Policani Native Seattleite. Business Planner and Process Engineer by day. Daddy, gadget aficionado & armchair cosmologist by night.

@StacyOlson Passionately curious with a mind like a sponge. For maintenance use daily: Research.Strategy.Design.Marketing.Measure. (Repeat as necessary)

@EricBurgess Father, Husband, UW Digital Media Grad Student, technology enthusiast & fashion aficionado.

@elemenager Social Media Strategist @Projectline. Action sport enthusiast, videographer, music lover, ranked 2x’s in top 50 community managers on twitter.

@MelissaTindall Midwest 2 Northwest girl with a passion 4 Technology + Marketing + Food & Wine + CU Buffs! Marketing Consultant @Projectline.

@AnikaMarketer Co-owner of Projectline Services. Interested in customer-centric marketing, good communications, volunteering, live and digital socializing, music, vegan food!