Twitter is allegedly gearing up to launch a long-form blogging feature on its websites that will allow users to expand on its 280-character limit.
Twitter is famous for its requirement to curtail a thought into a mere 280 characters. While Twitter threads are a popular way to circumnavigate that cap, TechCrunch reports that a new blogging feature from the social media website would allow users to publish long form blog posts on Twitter. The feature is apparently called “Twitter Articles” where users post “Notes,” according to tech blogger Nima Owji, who posted a screenshot of the feature’s potential graphic on Twitter earlier this month, while screenshots posted last month by app researcher Jane Wong show what the interface of the blogging feature will probably look like.
Twitter Article looks pretty polished at this stage pic.twitter.com/oAc6LXCKOy
— jane (@wongmjane) May 4, 2022
According to Wong’s screenshots, users may be able to use different headings, post photos, and embed tweets into their blog posts. Wong told me via Twitter that she stumbled upon the feature way back in February of this year while exploring the website’s code, and explained to me that “Twitter Articles” was a codename and the feature will likely be called “Notes.” Twitter’s Senior Product Director Tony Haile confirmed the existence of the Twitter Articles layout by quoting the tweet published by Wong, who said the layout looked “pretty polished,” with a simple “yes it does.” It’s not clear when Twitter Articles will be released to the public, but TechCrunch reports that Twitter may share updates soon. Twitter did not respond to our request for comment on the tool’s rollout or official name, but we will update this story if they do.
Twitter has come a long way from its humble 140-character beginnings. The website doubled its offering to allow users to post up to 280 characters per tweet in 2017. Three years later, Twitter made it easier to add tweets to a thread, which may have been the first signal in their pivot to hosting longer form content.