Twitter is rumored to be working on a feature that would allow users to create tweets with as many as 10,000 characters, thus getting rid of the 140-character limit that’s been synonymous with the microblogging service since its inception, according to tech blog Re/code.
The publication said the company expects the feature, called “Beyond 140,†to debut in March, but an
official launch date has not been disclosed. Twitter is also reportedly testing a design for the feature in which tweets appear as they do now, but with the capability to click to expand a tweet to see more content.[RELATED: Twitter’s New Diversity Chief Gets Mixed Reactions on Twitter]
The new effort would be to add more content without disrupting the way users consume content on their timelines. There are other outside apps that exist to do this, but the feature would essentially be part of Twitter’s platform.
The platform is also reportedly working out a plan for facing the potential challenge of spamming that might come about with the expansion of the character count.
Experts say offering users the ability to view larger pieces of content on Twitter could help encourage them to stay on the service instead looking to other sites to share content. It could also increase user value for advertisers, and potentially boost users’ engagement with the site’s other features.
The company is testing a new order for users’ timelines that inserts some tweets higher up, and the platform is reportedly using an algorithm to determine which tweets have earned a spotlight in the timeline.
The obvious explanation is that Twitter is looking for ways to surface its best content.
This move has been seen as one that will hopefully boost the company’s prospects. The platform’s user growth has reportedly stalled in the last year and its stock has fallen about 40% since this time last year.