Yahoo adds tweets to its news feed

Yahoo's news feed will now include tweets from Twitter, CEO Marissa Mayer announced Thursday in a blog post, cheekily titled "@yahoo delivers #bestoftheweb."

The company will roll out the new feature to U.S. desktop and mobile users over the next few days. Mayer has been trying to breathe new life into the company by buying mobile startups, updating Yahoo's home page, and now by harnessing the popularity of Twitter as a news source.

"Updates direct from politicians, celebrities, media outlets, and other publishers have become an important source of real-time news and information. 140 characters can connect athletes with their fans, capture live chatter from the red carpet, and inspire global debate," she wrote.

Readers will be able to follow sources of the tweets from the news feed by hitting a "follow" button on a featured tweet. Mayer promised the tweets would be "relevant and personalized," but didn't go into more detail on how Yahoo will achieve that.

An algorithm picks the tweets, which are then "further filtered to minimize spam and undesirable content," a Yahoo spokesperson told CNET in an e-mail. "Like the rest of the new Yahoo experience, these tweets are personalized based on your preferences and interests. The more you use Yahoo, the more personalized it will become."

Updated, May 17, 12:16 p.m. PT: Updated with comment from Yahoo.