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Sunday May 15th

Is This the End of The 140 Character Limit for Twitter?

by platform81   |   May 15, 2016   |   3 minutes read

A bit of history…

Twittr (later named Twitter) first launched back in March 2006.

At the time, the site differentiated itself from other platforms such as Facebook and MySpace with its short, concise messages (or tweets!) 

Posts on Twitter are designed to be short, snappy and to the point with a 140-character limit. As it stands, adding link to your tweet will use up 23 characters and adding a photo, 24, which can significantly reduce your word count.

Why the 140-character limit?

The origin of the 140-character limit actually came from SMS messages (remember them…!) Twitter users were originally able to send and receive tweets using just one text message.

As Twitter continued to evolve and grow into the platform we use today, it always stuck to it’s defining 140-character limit… That is, until now?

Rumour has it…

With rich media such as links, photos, videos, emoji’s and gifs now such a crucial part of social media marketing, many users stated that they were struggling to get their message across within the 140-character limit.

 It turns out Twitter was listening, as it was recently reported that the social media giant is planning to scrap counting photos and links as part of their character count.

While the San Francisco head office is still yet comment, a report from Bloomberg states that we could be seeing the change within the next two weeks.

What does the change mean for you?

 The change is a welcome one for many of Twitter’s users. Some of the main ways we could benefit include:

  • Sending messages without the need for shortening words – While slang may suit some businesses, it can look unprofessional for others
  • Including more links in tweets – Perhaps one of the biggest benefits for business is you can post links back to your site without affecting your word count
  • Encouraging creativity – The proposed new update will mean that users can add imagery and video without affecting their word count. This in turn encourages users to get creative and use rich media to their full advantage.

However…

  • Twitter’s 140-character word count works for a reason – Longer, wordy messages are less likely to grab people’s attention and could put people off sharing your updates.

Having said that, if you keep your tweets catchy, add some visuals and a link for convenience, we reckon only good things can come from Twitter’s latest update.

Did you know…?

The first quarter of 2016 showed an average of 310 million monthly users on Twitter. 47% of those who follow a brand stated that they are more likely to visit the company’s website.

If you’re struggling to stay consistent or manage your Twitter account, why not get in touch with the social media gurus Platform81! We’re always more than happy to talk through the latest updates and give you a hand with some helpful advice.

 

 

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