Twitter 280 Character Count
Did you read about the Twitter 280 character count announcement yesterday? It was on Twitter via a tweet of course. They also did a blog post about it as they were releasing it to all of it's Twitter users.
Twitter has been trying to expand their character count back to at least September 2016 when they allowed images and media not to count toward their old 140 character count. That newer feature was nice as it allowed for more images and media into posts without cramping the tweets.
But yesterday's announcement of the 280 character count no longer makes it short and sweet on the beloved Twitter network. Many of us love Twitter for it's brevity. It is what makes Twitter so unique among the social networks.
Why The Twitter 280 Character Count?
Twitter noted that 9% of English tweets went over the old 140 character count. Twitter did note on their blog post about the Twitter 280 character count that many people tried it out and then went back to shorter tweets. It was a novelty at first that didn't last.
They also noticed when people in the test had more characters to tweet that they tweeted more often. People didn't have to spend so much time editing their tweets to fit with the new character count. The experimental users reported they did get more engagement on their longer tweets. (More re-tweets, likes and shares).
The New Circle Count for Twitter Character Count
Now you will see an orange circle as your are nearing the end of your Twitter character count to 280.
You can see my test tweet last night as I was nearing the end of the 280 character count via a tweet.
Notice the orange circle at the bottom with the #4 in it. That is how many more characters I could have used to complete a 280 character count tweet.
It does look a lot different than the old red minus symbol as you were tweeting to the old 140 character limit on Twitter.
The new character count does not allow for all of my tweet to show in the screen shot either as you can see the top part is cut off . I really wanted to share how the circle count looked and works for my readers here.
Longer or Shorter Tweets?
It's amazing how much more you can fit with the additional space on a tweet now. There will be many unique ways to use this character count but I would not recommend it for every tweet. I am thinking shorter tweets may get more recognition now as they will be easier to read in your Twitter stream. I'll be testing and watching how this really plays out in the coming weeks.
Will Twitter 280 Character Count Change Our Twitter Streams?
We may see more tweets in our streams as people experiment with the new character count. Some as Twitter noticed in their test period will tweet more now that they can say more. Not everyone loves short and sweet in their messages. Some prefer to write a novel via a tweet.
It will be interesting to see how these longer tweets will affect your own tweets going forward. It will be necessary to really look at your Twitter analytics to see which tweets are working best for you as you try out the new format.
What Others Are Saying About The New Twitter Count
#Twitter officially expanded its character count from 140 to 280 today! I don't know what to do with myself! I'm used to writing cleanly & concisely on Twitter and as a broadcast journalist. Now, I may just start to ramble because I have so many characters left! Bla, bla, bla 🙂
- Janelle Wang (@janellewang) November 8, 2017
How are we feeling about having #280characters in a tweet, people? ✍️🐦🤯
Mixed feelings here:
- more room = more space to communicate
- but too much space = not being concise or getting to the pointTake the poll and let me know your thoughts!#Twitter #twitter280 #social
- Steve Ash (@CommsBreakdown) November 8, 2017
#Twitter doubles its #CharacterLimit! I wont make use of it in this tweet, but still: it's a whole new world guys! At least for us who use the platform every day. #exciting 🤪🤣 pic.twitter.com/foyiF9VOax
- DW Science (@dw_scitech) November 8, 2017
#Twitter users find creative ways to fill the new #280characters limit - but they really JUST WANT AN EDIT BUTTON...! https://t.co/0KqHPELUhv pic.twitter.com/ppRGahWRtJ
- Radio Times (@RadioTimes) November 8, 2017
Hi Lisa, I had family dinner yesterday. How was yours? I have not tried the new longer tweet option yet! But it looks like there's now plenty of space for writing more words.... pic.twitter.com/o5VWAJTecN
- Erik Emanuelli (@ErikEmanuelli) November 8, 2017
No problem! TBH, I think Twitter needs to be more innovative than adjusting character count...!
- Dan Purvis (@DanPurvis) November 8, 2017
All these tweets with #280characters are giving me a headache...I'll go on facebook if I wanna read essays. 140 characters required talent - don't ruin it
- Abbey (@AbbeyDalton24) November 8, 2017
Checking the new #Twitter limit if it is working now for more characters. Have you tried it out yet? Twitter announced today it is open for all to use the 280 character count vs. The old 140 character count. You can tweet away more now. 🐥🐦🐤🐦🐥🐤🐦
I prefer short & sweet.- Lisa 🐥🐦🐤 (@Lisapatb) November 8, 2017
Great Twitter Tip
If you still have only 140 characters per #tweet, close #Twitter, clear all cookies & cachet, restart & Voila! #Zeichen #CharacterLimit #280characters
- Lars Pellinat (@Lars9596) November 7, 2017
Will you be using the full 280 character count now available on Twitter? I'd love to know in the comments how you feel about this major change on Twitter today!
If you want to learn more about using Twitter don't forget to grab my latest eBook on Amazon, How to Tweet and Thrive on Twitter.
Stay tuned for more updates on how this feature will affect your tweets and your business or blog on Twitter. Subscribe today or click yes on the push notifications to receive the latest updates from Inspire To Thrive.
