Twitter introduces new ‘thread’ feature to link tweets together

Twitter is introducing a new feature that will allow users to "thread" tweets more easily.

Threading – where users link tweets together to share more information – has emerged as a growing trend on the platform, where updates are constrained by a limited number of characters.

However, it can be hard to follow an entire thread at times, and with the number of tweets constructed in this manner growing, Twitter has stepped in.

A new update to the platform will see a “plus” button added to Twitter’s composer that lets users create threaded tweets and publish them all at once. Further tweets can be added after an initial thread is published through another new button, “add another tweet”.

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The entire thread will also get a new label identifying it as a thread.

In a blog post by product manager Sasank Reddy, the company outlined its reasoning behind the move.

“We saw this approach (which we call “threading”) as an innovative way to present a train of thought, made up of connected but individual elements,” said Mr Reddy.

“But this method of tweeting, while effective and popular, can be tricky for some to create and it’s often tough to read or discover all the tweets in a thread.”

Twitter users will see the new feature appearing in the coming weeks as the company rolls out the change to web, iOS and Android users.

Character count

The move follows an expansion in the character count from 140 to 280, and changing what counts against that limit, by removing usernames and images from the mix.

“But we know people also may want to serialise a longer story or thought, or provide ongoing commentary on an event or topic,” Mr Reddy said. “That’s where this update to threads comes in.”

Mr Reddy called the feature “a nod to the creativity of the Twitter community”.

It’s not the first time Twitter has turned to its community of users for new features. The company has form for making user-created features an official part of the platform, from the @reply and the retweet to the hashtag.

But Twitter has also come under fire for tweaking its platform’s features instead of adopting a tougher approach to abuse on its platform. More recently, that criticism has focused on the verification of known figures in the so-called alt-right movement.