Twitter makes more room for replies, just don't overdo it
The social network says handles, such as @realDonaldTrump, will not figure into the 140-character limit when replying to tweets.
Twitter is giving users more tweet space as usernames won't be added into the 140-character limit.
Twitter is giving its users a little more space.
The social network said Thursday that when people reply back to fellow users, usernames will no longer cut into the 140-character limit in tweets.
Usernames, such as @thecleanmachine, the Twitter handle for Sasank Reddy, a product manager at the social network, will now appear above the tweet's text, rather than within it.
"So you have more characters to have conversations," Reddy said in a blog post Thursday.
Users will now be able to tap on "Replying to..." to see and manage who's in their conversation, instead of seeing a bunch of usernames at the beginning of a tweet, Reddy added.
For example, when a user is replying to say, tweets from public figures like President Donald Trump at either @realDonaldTrump or @POTUS, neither of Trump's Twitter handles will figure into the 140 characters. However, if you want to add or tag other people, you'll still have to type in their @username and that will factor into the character count.
As a reminder, this exchange late Wednesday between myself and my CNET colleague Jason Parker shows how replies previously worked. Now, Parker can reply without my username or @warriors counting against a tweets 140-character limit.
Some Twitter users have pointed out the new reply feature lets you tag a seemingly unlimited number of people, raising concerns that it could be use to spam a large number users with a single tweet.
So, don't be that dude who tags 30 people in every tweet -- just don't.
Even Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy had a little fun over the new feature:
The reply update comes after Twitter tweeted in September it will no longer count photos, videos, polls, quotes and GIFs toward its 140-character limit. The social network also told users and developers last spring changes were coming.
Thursday's new feature is the second Twitter-related update in as many days. On Wednesday, the social network said videos from Periscope can now play directly in Moments, Twitter's up-to-the-minute curated collection of tweets, videos and discussions.
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