The fate of Twitter is set to change as it will soon pass into private hands, but that has not stopped it from testing out new features. The latest feature in highlight is Twitter Circle, something that is akin to Instagram’s ‘Close Friends’ feature.
Instagram’s Close Friends lets you share your Stories with only those users whom you consider closest to you. Twitter Circle walks on the same lines and lets you share your tweets with a smaller crowd of up to 150 users, followers, and non-followers alike. You can select whom you want to be in your Circle, and only they can reply to and interact with the tweets you shared in your Circle.
This feature has now gone into testing mode with a limited number of users across the globe on Twitter for iOS, Android, and the web. Do not confuse it with Communities, which gives users a forum to share and connect with other users.
Twitter Safety announced the coming of the feature in the following tweet, “Some Tweets are for everyone & others are just for people you’ve picked. We’re now testing Twitter Circle, which lets you add up to 150 people who can see your Tweets when you want to share with a smaller crowd. Some of you can create your own Twitter Circle beginning today!”
In order to use this feature, click on the oval shape above the text box when you are typing a tweet. When the prompt pops up, change the audience from “Everyone” to “Twitter Circle.” Once you have built the Circle, you can add non-followers or remove them, but members of the Circle will be able to see the tweets and (non-protected) replies that are shared in the Circle.
Twitter also saves you the awkwardness of dealing with someone whom you removed from your Twitter Circle by not sending notifications to them to inform them that they have been removed (or added) to the Circle. You can build only one Twitter Circle.
If you are the member of a Twitter Circle, then you cannot leave until the creator of the same removes you. You can, however, choose to mute the conversation.
Musk mulls “slight cost” for commercial/government Twitter users
This feature is something to look forward to if it successfully rolls out. It won’t be so fun for commercial or government users, though, since they may have to pay a “slight” fee in order to use Twitter and share tweets with the masses.
Musk, who is set to get his hands on the micro-blogging site to unlock its “extraordinary potential,” said in a tweet that while the platform would remain free for casual users (thankfully), they might be a “slight cost” for commercial and government users.
