Stories is Coming to Twitter
Twitter has recently started testing a new feature that they call 'Fleets'. It is basically like Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and Facebook's My Day features which allows people to post text, photos, and videos that disappear after 24 hours.
This feature was the premise of Snapchat back in 2013 before Instagram got its own Stories to feature in 2016. Soon enough, Facebook added the feature to its other apps, including Messenger, WhatsApp, and Facebook itself. Other social media apps soon followed suit, including YouTube, Netflix, Tinder, and LinkedIn. Now, Twitter is also joining the bandwagon.
Mashing up the words 'fleeting' and 'tweets', Twitter has started testing its Fleets in Brazil. "Twitter is the place where you talk about topics that interest you. But some people say they feel insecure to tweet because tweets are public, permanent, and exhibit public engagement counts. We want to make it possible for you to have conversations on the platform with less pressure and more control," Twitter explained in a blog post.
Just like Instagram Stories, the photos of users who shared their own Fleets will show up as circles at the top of the app. The circles will turn blue when a user posts a new Fleet and will turn grey after you view their Fleets. To watch a Fleet, simply tap on the corresponding circle.
To share your own Fleet, simply click on your profile picture and create your content. Fleets are much simpler compared to Instagram Stories, too, since you cannot change the text alignment or the font. You just write and share - just like a regular tweet.
Fleets also support photos, GIFS, and videos; but there are no filters or stickers to make things more fun. Fleets cannot be liked or retweeted, either. As with actual tweets, the character limit for text is 280 characters.
Once you have posted a Fleet, you can check who watched it and how many people have seen it. When viewing Fleets, you can choose to send emojis as reactions via DM or reply to them as you see fit.
What makes Fleets different from Instagram Stories is that you have to scroll down vertically to see them in succession instead of tapping on the right to see them.
Probably the best part about Fleets is that you can post a clickable link on one - a feature on Instagram that is only available to users with a certain amount of followers.
For those who like to rant every now and then, just to regret it and delete their tweets afterwards, Fleets might prove to be a good outlet for them. This might also prove to be a good feature for those who want to keep their Twitter more professional, or who simply want to share little tidbits about their day in a less permanent manner.
During its early testing stages, though, Fleets is only available to a few select users in Brazil.
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