Twitter’s ambitious plan to introduce long-form content with mixed media support has been confirmed by Elon Musk, the owner of the social media giant. Previously known as “Twitter Notes,” the feature seems to be back on track, now possibly rebranded as “Articles.”
The experimental launch of Twitter Notes occurred in June 2022, prior to Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, with a group of writers in the United States, Canada, Ghana, and the United Kingdom gaining access to the new “Write” tab on the platform.
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Writers were able to create and manage their Notes, while their Twitter profiles featured a dedicated Notes tab, allowing followers and other users to conveniently access all their long-form content in one place.
Twitter Notes boasted of rich formatting options and the ability to upload various media, including photos, videos, GIFs, and even tweets.
Once published, writers could share their Notes as tweets, enabling retweets, DM shares, bookmarks, and likes, much like regular tweets. Following the acquisition, little had been heard about the status of Twitter Notes, leading to speculation and uncertainty.
A user reported in November 2022 that Notes had been indefinitely put on hold, and other Twitter reading-and-writing projects, such as ad-free articles for subscribers and the newsletter platform Revue, were discontinued by Musk.
However, recent developments indicate that Twitter Notes may make a comeback, potentially rebranded as “Articles.” A Twitter user shared a screenshot displaying the Notes interface and unreleased features like “Twitter Coins,” hinting at renewed development efforts.
In response, Elon Musk himself confirmed Twitter’s plans for the feature. Elaborating on the feature’s capabilities, Musk explained, “This will allow users to post very long, complex articles with mixed media. You could publish a book if you want.”
While further details about Twitter’s plans for Articles remain undisclosed, there is speculation that this move is part of Twitter’s efforts to retain creators amid stiff competition from platforms like Instagram Threads.
Twitter has even started sharing ad revenue with creators, leading to substantial payouts for some.The introduction of long-form content could appeal to writers seeking broader distribution for their articles, which they may have otherwise posted on personal blogs or platforms like Substack, a Twitter rival.
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In response to Substack’s competitive features, Twitter removed the ability to interact with tweets containing Substack links, showcasing Twitter’s determination to be the go-to platform for conversations, even beyond the traditional 240-character limit.
Elon Musk has been vocal about the potential removal of character count limitations on Twitter, having previously increased the limit to 4,000 and later to 10,000 for Twitter Blue subscribers.
Full Story Source: Twitter’s Long-Form Articles With Mixed Media: Confirmed By Elon Musk