Twitter Increases Direct Message Character Limit

The 140 character limit on the direct message feature of Twitter was officially removed recently. The direct message feature allows users to communicate privately with other users of the social network.

With the removal of the 140-character limit, users can send direct messages containing up to 10,000 characters. In contrast, the character limit of the Messenger feature of Facebook is at 20,000 characters. The move of the social network appears to be a way for the company to keep pace with the increasing competition coming from Facebook and other messaging applications like WhatsApp.

Product manager for direct messages of the social network, Sachin Agarwal, said the removal of the 140-character limit provides users the flexibility to write longer messages as well as express themselves in a more comfortable and natural way.

The upgrade was initially announced by the social network in June. It allows the company to increase its reach into the mainstream market while pleasing its investors. While Twitter has around 316 million active users each month, it is nothing compared to the 1.5 billion users of Facebook, which does not help its efforts in attracting advertisers and more revenue.

Character Limit Lifted - image credit: flicker.com

The increase in the character limit for the direct message feature of the social network shows that it is aiming to make itself more user-friendly and engaging. The company is also anticipating an increase in the number of new users when other new features are released. Among the upcoming features that will be offered on the social network are Project Lightning and an upcoming content deal with the NFL. The Project Lightning feature will draw the attention of users to trending events through a series of images, videos and tweets.

The company is also looking for a new head since interim CEO Jack Dorsey said he will remain as the full-time head of Square, which is currently preparing for an IPO. Dorsey also revealed that he bought over 31,000 Twitter shares, which shows his optimism about the future of the company.

Investing in @twitter's future: https://t.co/wowJm4Z7M0

— Jack (@jack) August 10, 2015

The board of the company indicated that the new CEO should be fully committed to the position. A number of people are being considered for the post, including the global revenue chief of the company, Adam Bain.

The company has made a significant investment on its direct messaging feature, Agarwal said. The company unveiled its group direct message feature that allows multiple users to chat at the same time. The same feature also allows users to send private message to someone. Prior to the launch of the group direct message feature, it was necessary for two people to follow each other to start a private conversation.

Agarwal also said the removal of the 140-character limit for its direct message feature can be considered as a major move of the company in enhancing its private conversation feature. He said the direct messaging feature comes in as the number of unfolding events is gradually increasing and users have a bigger tendency to share these events. He said the move of Twitter provides users another opportunity to start a conversation with another user.

Posted by George Daniels on Saturday August 15 2015, 12:55 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0