The announcement from Twitter says this change to replies is rolling out to all users across the web, iOS and Android.

As a refresher, Twitter was originally designed as something of a public text messaging service. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, so Twitter went with a character limit of 140, thinking to leave room for a username ahead of the tweet.

However, the @usernames in Twitter replies did end up counting towards the 140 characters, as did other media attachments, including photos, GIFs, videos, and polls. That left precious few spaces for a user’s actual thoughts.

This also led to informal conventions like “tweetstorms” for sharing longer thoughts, and “Twitter canoes” – large, multi-person conversations which eventually break down because so many people join, there are no characters left to actual post responses.

Twitter has been trying to rectify the problems with its 140 character limit over the past several months by changing its user interface and lifting various technical restrictions. It already stopped GIFs, images, videos, and quote tweets from counting towards the 140 characters. (Links still do count).

With today’s change to replies, Twitter’s interface on web and mobile will now display those you’re replying to above the tweet text, instead of within the tweet, which frees up more characters for your thoughts.

The change to replies marks an end of an era for Twitter. The company helped to popularize this format and bring it into the mainstream. Today, using the “@” symbol to mention someone is supported across a range of services, including Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Slack, and even Outlook, among others.

So far the test launch of this today has been really successful and received some positive engagement, but we’d be interested to hear how you feel about this and if it will in fact change your strategy while using the platform?

Do you struggle to compose effective, accurate content for your business Twitter account? Let our experts help. Speak to our friendly team today on 01246 252855 about our Twitter content, or Twitter management packages and see how we can excel your online engagement, and build your brand on Twitter!

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Twitter updates on DM

From today, Twitter is removing the 140-character limit from direct messages. The move was originally announced in June, and will enable ‘tweeters’ to share longer, more in-depth messages which is great news for brands to better contextualize their Twitter content!

The micro-blogging platform has a lot of planned changes over the coming months, particularly around developing the customer service channel, something Twitter’s been working to emphasize in an effort to get more brands on board – plus, creating a more rounded visual ‘experience’ for users (including the ‘look’ of the icons, coming soon in our next blog).

From the official announcement:

“While Twitter is largely a public experience, Direct Messages let you have private conversations about the memes, news, movements, and events that unfold on Twitter. Each of the hundreds of millions of Tweets sent across Twitter every day is an opportunity for you to spark a conversation about what’s happening in your world. That’s why we’ve made a number of changes to Direct Messages over the last few months. Today’s change is another big step towards making the private side of Twitter even more powerful and fun.”

Additionally, restrictions have been lifted around who DM’s can be sent to; users now have the choice  to receive direct messages from anyone – and the addition of group direct messages for wider, private group discussions, whereas before you could only DM those who you was mutually connected to.

An increasing number of consumers are turning to Twitter to get a response from brands, meaning more organisations should take note and maintain a presence on the platform.

If you are looking for support to grow your Twitter profiles and commercial identity, call our social media experts today for a free initial discussion on 01246 252855 or email info@brighterdirections.co.uk for a call back request.

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