Micro-blogging, say hello to real blogging.
Last week, Twitter has introduced a new feature called a note. For a select group of authors, it is now possible to create long posts, Limited to 2,500 words.
The feature appears as an option in apps and browsers where users can select a new write option, type a title, add a picture and create a blog with pictures, tweets and links.
When the note is published, it appears as a simple tweet with a link to their feed, which is confusing because long posts don’t actually appear in the app. They only seem to be browser-based. Here’s a tweet that explains how it works:
I’m not sure what to plan here.
I’ve always seen Twitter as a connecting tissue, a way to discuss ideas, share touching comments and post links to content. The biggest difference from Twitter is always that it’s a microblogging service that caters to people who don’t want to dive deeper. You can quickly scan through the post and move on.
The Note feature looks like an add-on that could have worked many years ago, but it would still lead to more confusion.
If Twitter wants to be a blogging platform, it will have some serious competition. Medium.com, a popular blogging platform, is basically an incarnation of Eve Williams, who was also a co-founder of Twitter. At the time, it seemed, Medium was responding to Twitter’s lack of true blogging power.
As often happens, we continue to go into the circle of technology.
Will it draw in new users? That’s the goal, since the platform has been relatively stagnant for several years now. I’ve mentioned it many times, but it’s still personally my favorite social media app. I use it more than any other platform, and it has helped my journalism profession tremendously, at least in terms of how I can connect with readers and share links to articles. I might use Facebook with friends and family, but when I have something to say to a much larger audience, it’s always on Twitter.
Now I have to decide if it makes sense on the blog. (I’ve requested access to the Note feature but haven’t heard from Twitter representatives; if I get hands-on access, I’ll report back to the feature again.) From what I can see, it’s best to start with. Once you add a title and your text, and a few images, there doesn’t seem to be any option for formatting (as you can do in Medium). Blogs don’t seem to be interconnected. This is basically a long tweet with a bold title.
Even more importantly, I have a lot of questions about why I would first use Twitter for blogging. For me Recent booksI just made it My own blog Uses GoDaddy tools and WordPress. It took about five minutes.
The blog runs on my own site, which contains information about my book and a bunch of links. Why would I blog on Twitter instead?
My idea is that the note only features a vanity. Look, we’ve added something new!
Maybe I’ll warm it up in the end, but for now, I’m stuck with the parts of Twitter that I like the most.