Twitter all set to double the character count

New Delhi: Following the successful pilot phase of its character expansion move, popular micro-blogging site Twitter announced that it will officially be rolling out the feature to all languages where cramming was an issue, barring Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

In a blog post penned by the developers, Twitter claimed that while users stayed within the 140-character limit wherever possible and kept the brevity of the medium intact, certain issues required more comprehensive and structured tweets, thus enabling them to tweet easily and more often.

“Our goal was to make this possible while ensuring we keep the speed and brevity that makes Twitter, Twitter. Looking at all the data, we’re excited to share we’ve achieved this goal and are rolling the change out to all languages where cramming was an issue,” the blog noted.

An analysis conducted by the team showed that with the expanded character count, it was easier for users to tweet seamlessly, as lesser time went into editing their tweets. The analysis also showed that tweets went out faster than before, as users found it easier to compose their thoughts into a tweet.

Furthermore, the increased count paved the way for better interaction and user engagement, as twitterers had more room to express themselves.

“People in the experiment told us that a higher character limit made them feel more satisfied with how they expressed themselves on Twitter, their ability to find good content, and Twitter overall,” the post observed.

In September, Twitter had announced that it would double its character count for tweets — from 140 characters to 280 characters — albeit, for some of its users.

“Our research shows us that the character limit is a major cause of frustration for people Tweeting in English, but it is not for those Tweeting in Japanese,” Twitter explained.

-ANI