On 17 November 2020, Twitter announced that they have finally rolled it out globally. Similar to the stories format that all other major social media platforms have already hopped on to, Twitter has now released their take on it. For those that are unfamiliar with this new feature, it’s another content format within Twitter that is live on the user’s account for only 24 hours, with Fleets, users can share a text post, react to a tweet, record a video or share a photo.
That thing you didn’t Tweet but wanted to but didn’t but got so close but then were like nah.
As shared by design director Joshua Harris and product manager Sam Haveson “through our test in Brazil, Italy, India and South Korea, we learned Fleets helped people feel more comfortable joining the conversation — we saw people with Fleets talk more on Twitter”. It seems like Fleets were well received during the testing phases and also maintained the conversational aspect of the platform.
On the flipside, since the launch of Fleets there are also many that have expressed negative sentiment towards it. Some users have experienced longer loading durations, excessive amounts of direct messages in their inbox, and overall saying it’s just another replica of stories. However, as we are in the early days of the launch of this feature, we believe that we can look forward to Twitter continuing to enhance this feature.
From a brand perspective, this could be another format which companies can reach out and interact with their audience on a more personal level. This would aid them in building brand loyalty and awareness in the long run too.
How to share a Tweet on Fleet
With all the buzz surrounding Twitter’s Fleets global launch, this is how you can try it for yourself!
Users who tap on the fleet will be redirected to the original tweet to respond. Well done, you just posted a Fleet!
Have your voices heard on Twitter with Twitter Spaces
Have you ever felt that existing popular social media platforms are lacking the ability to hold meaningful audio conversations? If so, Twitter might have felt the same way as it looks to introduce Twitter Spaces: a platform that allows users to partake in voice-based dialogue.
Through Twitter Spaces, users will be able to join conversations via direct messages or from a tweet. As a precaution, creators of that ‘space’ will be provided full moderation control and will have free reign over who is allowed to join. Such measures are to ensure that Twitter Spaces remain civil and free from abuse.
Perhaps a take on the word “safe space”, Twitter Spaces come at a time where the ability to hold meaningful conversations is gaining importance, especially amid a turbulent environment. Twitter Spaces will begin testing later this year with Twitter intending to prioritise women and people from marginalised backgrounds.
