Twitter to support long-form articles with mixed media
Twitter plans a significant update with its feature Twitter Notes, allowing users to publish long-form content with mixed media. Elon Musk, Twitter’s owner, confirmed this after a user’s tweet mentioned the project’s rebranding as “Articles.”
In June 2022, Twitter launched Twitter Notes, an experiment giving select writers from the United States, Canada, Ghana, and the United Kingdom access to a new “Write” tab on Twitter to craft and access all their Notes. The Notes tab on their Twitter profiles allowed followers and other users to view all the long-form content in one place. Twitter Notes supported rich formatting, allowing writers to embed photos, videos, GIFs, and tweets, making sharing easy. Followers could retweet, share in direct messages, bookmark, or like the Notes, just like other tweets.
Confirmation of “Articles”
After Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion, reports suggested that Twitter Notes had been put on indefinite “pause.” Additionally, other reading-and-writing-related projects were discontinued. However, recent news indicates that Twitter Notes has been renamed “Articles.” Musk then replied to the tweet, confirming Twitter’s plans.
“This will allow users to post very long, complex articles with mixed media,” Musk wrote. “You could publish a book if you want.”
Twitter’s Vision:
Amidst rising competition from rivals like Instagram Threads, Twitter embraces long-form content with mixed media. To retain creators, it introduces revenue-sharing programs as incentives. The move aims to retain writers seeking broader distribution for content typically posted on blogs or newsletters like Substack, another Twitter rival.
As Twitter evolves, it seeks to re-establish itself as a hub for diverse conversations, surpassing the 240-character limit. Elon Musk’s openness to increasing character counts is evident with Twitter Blue subscribers gaining access to 4,000 and 10,000 characters. With “Articles,” Twitter revolutionizes content creation and distribution, offering users a new way to share engaging stories and insights, solidifying its social media position.
This will allow users to post very long, complex articles with mixed media. You could publish a book if you want.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 18, 2023
