Twitter Tests New ‘Articles’ Option, Potentially Enabling Long-Form Posts in the App

This could possibly be fascinating.

For a very long time, Twitter’s been attempting to work out one of the simplest ways to allow folks to share extra expansive feedback and ideas within the app, which many individuals do already by including screenshots of notes to their tweets.

Certainly, again in 2016, when then Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey explained that that firm was potential choices to allow longer posts inside tweets (which ultimately resulted within the enlargement of tweet size to 280 characters) he used a screenshot of textual content to speak his logic.

Twitter’s since contained its concepts on this entrance, including ‘Threads’ in its place, whereas it additionally bought e-newsletter platform Revue, which it now prompts customers to check out in the event that they’re seeking to publish longer textual content updates.

However it might not have given up on the concept solely – check out this new tweet test noticed by reverse engineering professional Jane Manchun Wong.

As you’ll be able to see, Twitter’s presently engaged on a brand new choice referred to as ‘Articles’, which seems to supply a way to create weblog posts inside the app, which might then, you’d assume, be shareable, in some kind, through tweet.

How precisely that will work is unclear, however it’s undoubtedly one thing Twitter is growing – as a spokesperson defined to SMT:

“We’re all the time trying into new methods to assist folks begin and interact in conversations on Twitter. We’ll share extra about our work right here quickly.”

A generic response, so no additional perception. However it’s coming, and it’ll be fascinating to see whether or not this does really present an choice to exchange screenshots of textual content, in a extra compact, workable, searchable manner than the present Threads course of.

Some have famous that it will possible be a Twitter Blue choice, or a minimum of it’ll begin that manner, with paying subscribers capable of create long-form posts that they’ll then share within the app. The true utility, in fact, lay within the particulars of the way it works, and the way Twitter will current these longer posts within the app.

Will that feed right into a Revue e-newsletter? Will these posts solely dwell in your profile, with creators then capable of share a pattern of their tweets, referring customers again to the complete textual content? And in that case, will there be worth in driving referral site visitors to long-form posts on Twitter, when you could possibly drive them again to your personal web site as an alternative?

Once more, the true worth will probably be in the way it really works, however it’s fascinating to notice that Twitter hasn’t deserted the concept of longer-form textual content in tweets.

Perhaps new Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal is a fan of the idea, which is why it’s coming again.

We’ll maintain you up to date on any progress.