Twitter is making some exemptions to its famous 140-character tweet limit which will eventually enable users to Tweet longer messages than is currently possible.
It is by excluding things likes usernames, quoted tweets, photos along with other media attachments from within the tweet. Media attachments itself used to eat up 24 characters while usernames added several more to that. Now with all of that cut off from the main tweet, user have the entire 140-characters to express their views.
Excluding usernames from the tweet, the count is also a smart move to encourage more discussion, something that was not possible previously as the usernames itself would eat up most of the tweet limit.
Such a development was already reported last week via unconfirmed sources. It marks the first official declaration of the move on the part of Twitter.
“A few simple changes to make conversations on Twitter easier! And no more removing characters for images or videos!” said Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey in a tweet spanning 115-character.
A few simple changes to make conversations on Twitter easier! And no more removing characters for images or videos! https://t.co/7XjGN8k0p6
— Jack (@jack) May 24, 2016
As per the other changes introduced, users now have the ability to retweet or quote-tweet their posts.
The central theme behind the recent spate of changes includes simplifying the entire user experience with the way Twitter works. The idea is to make it attractive enough for even the first-time users to get started right away.
“We expect people who are new to Twitter to be welcomed to a much more intuitive experience that makes sense for them and is easier for them to understand,” said Leslie Berland, the newly appointed CMO at Twitter.
There still could be more changes introduced in the coming weeks and months as Berland pointed out, with a possible relaxation of the iconic 140-character limit as well.
Such changes are also aiming at enhancing Twitter’s appeal in the social circles where its growth has been stagnating for quite some time now. Whether it hits the growth path again on the back of these changes is something that remains to be seen, though.
