Twitter now lets you receive DMs from people you’re not following

This should come as welcome news to brands. You no longer have to follow someone on Twitter for them to send you a direct message.

Don’t panic though, the news doesn’t mean that you’ll be getting DMs from all and sundry. The option is off by default, so you’ll have to activate it yourself.

“If you check this option, any Twitter user that follows you will be able to send you a DM, regardless of whether you decide to follow them back,” says a note regarding the option.

While the change is pretty minor, it’s important that turning it on is optional. Making it automatic would’ve left ordinary users dissatisfied and, as we’ve noted, the current option will probably appeal most to the people running brand and business accounts.

That kind of focus on business suggests that it’s also another in the series of tweaks Twitter has made in a bid to be more commercially friendly as it moves towards its IPO.

The new DM option appears to be gradually rolling out and may not be available to you just yet. When it is however, you’ll be able to activate it by going to the main settings page at Twitter.com.