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Twitter just changed the format of profile pages across all their platforms on the web and via apps.  Much like Facebook and Google+, you can now have a header image on your page.  It’s a chance to use a photo to give a feel for who you are.  On your profile page, that image sits behind your profile picture and written bio.

(Twitter website.)

(Twitter iPhone app. You swipe the header to see the more detailed bio information.)

For now, on the Twitter website, the change has to be manually activated.  But on smartphone apps, the feature is active automatically, whether you add an image or not.  By default, it displays black background, which doesn’t look bad.  But in a church setting, think of this as a way to give people a little more insight into who you are.  Much like selecting a Facebook cover photo, you can use this as an opportunity to show your church in action.

Here are the basics for adding a header image.

• The size of the image is 1252 x 626 pixels with a maximum file size of 5mb.  If you’re not creating something from scratch or editing an image to these dimensions before you upload it, Twitter will let you crop and zoom pictures to fit.  Mashable suggests that anything less than 640 pixels wide will not look good.
• To upload an image, go to the settings icon in the top right corner and select “settings.”  On the settings page, select “design” on the left-hand menu.  Then scroll down to “header image.”
• There is no notification or tweet sent out when you add a header image, so if you don’t like your first try, feel free to change it.  Unlike Facebook, there won’t be a log of all the changes.
• I haven’t seen any rules about what you can and can’t include in the image, but it’s probably wise to think strategically about text or avoid it all together, since your bio information will float over part of the image.  You don’t want it to look like a jumbled mess.

While you’re updating your Twitter profile page, it could be a good time to review other design elements—like your profile picture and background image.  Think about how these three things interact and how each can be used to visually tell your story.  Revisit your 160-character bio, too.  Now that it has more predominate placement, use it wisely.

Twitter has a great one-page resource for getting the most out of your profile.  You can download the PDF here.