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Twitter explores 10k character limit
Ever wanted to write a novel on Twitter, but hate the thought of breaking it up into 140-character sized chunks? Well then you might be pleased to learn that Twitter is considering a 10 000 character limits on tweets.
If true, the new character limit would represent the latest in a series of changes made to the social network as it looks to prop up its struggling share price.
If pushed through, it would mean that tweets would have the same character limit as Direct Messages, which underwent their own expansion in August last year.
According to US-based tech site Re/Code, there’s no firm date for the rollout of the increased character limit at this stage and it’s also possible that the number could fluctuate.
Read more: Twitter’s new Moments feature lets you catch up on developing stories
Those involved with the project, reportedly called “Beyond 140”, say that Twitter is currently testing a version where you only see 140-characters, with a call to action if you want to see an expanded version.
The point, effectively, is to change Twitter without changing the way it looks. After all, past attempts to tweak Twitters’ design with expanded content and larger images have resulted in lower levels of engagement.
Following the return of founder Jack Dorsey as CEO, Twitter has made a number of tweaks as it looks to increase user numbers and revenue. The most prominent of these is Moments which in its words allows you to see “the best of what’s happening on Twitter in an instant”. It’s also experimented with show tweets in non-chronological order.
It’s unclear whether any of those changes have actually worked, although reaction hasn’t always been positive.
Read more: Is Twitter killing share counts a smart move or completely self-destructive?
Dorsey meanwhile took to Twitter to explain the rationale for longer tweets. Check it out:
— Jack (@jack) January 5, 2016
What Dorsey’s saying is that more content can make tweets more powerful, enabling people to spend more time on Twitter. And having that content in the form of searchable text only makes that content more powerful.
What Dorsey doesn’t say, what he doesn’t have to say, is that this is good for Twitter from a business perspective, if only because people spending more time on Twitter means more chances for them to see revenue-generating ads.
