Twitter is testing a new feature that allows users to share “notes” of up to 2,500 words. In 2017, Twitter increased the maximum number of characters for tweets from 140 to 280 after an experiment with a small group of users.
The new feature will keep users in the Twitter ecosystem, as readers will be able to see a headline and access the longer note by clicking on a link.
The test will last two months, and it will involve a small group of writers in Canada, Ghana, the U.K., and the U.S. Users will be able to edit their notes after publishing them.
“Since the company’s earliest days, writers have depended on Twitter to share their work, get noticed, be read, create conversation – everything but the actual writing. With Notes, the goal is to fill in that missing piece,” Twitter shared.
Dr. Laura Toogood, a social media expert, praised the company and said it was a significant step, saying the feature would encourage people to stay within the platform itself rather than link to other sites that can host long-form content.
“Adding this extra capability means that Twitter is now in a position to compete with some of the popular blogging platforms and potentially attract a new audience and a different type of user. It will also encourage existing users to blog within Twitter rather than move to other websites for this purpose, which will help to retain their audience,” said Toogood.