A new social network geared toward the action sports crowd has launched today. Called Twinzer, it enters a market already well-stocked with sites ranging from BoardRideTV to Skuff TV to Action Profiles to the Tony Hawk-backed Shred or Die. Some are of course more about media hosting and delivery than connecting skaters, surfers, and bikers far and wide, but they do all populate the same general arena. Thus these comparisons are drawn.
Twinzer, the newest entry on the scene, who’s subtext is described as “a stoked community,” has somewhat of a different construction than its competitors. While most others are heavily invested in media projection, Twinzer has more wholesome display. Yes, the site’s featured videos, photos, and music control box are all positioned in the center of the main page, but all items which surround those selections are well arranged, too, giving the user an impression of a multi-functional space. This is good. A variety of options available at once is essential for a network to grab and hold onto the attention of prospective members.
As for aesethetics, Twinzer is pleasant. Some may prefer lighter tones, but the dark backgrounds juxtaposed against thematic white text is satisfying. For the subject matter, we’d say Twinzer’s creators have chosen smartly. Furthermore, the actions of the primary navigation menu as well as those of some other components are well developed. Nothing seems roughly assembled on Twinzer.
One item that will certainly need work is the Stoked News widget, adjacent the media menu. When stories are clicked, a pop-up is presented, but the data is not formatted to fit the space correctly. This error is compounded by the fact that the option to close a quick-view window fails to respond, requiring the user to manually refresh the entire page. Also, if the user opts to instead click the ‘More’ icon to view news stories on a separate page, the same problem erupts when headlines are chosen.