Twitter to Support Long-Form Articles With Mixed Media – According to a recent post by Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, it seems that the feature called Twitter Notes, which allows users to publish longer content on the platform, is back on track. This confirmation came in response to a user’s tweet stating that the project had been rebranded as “Articles.”
Initially launched in June 2022 as an experiment, Twitter Notes provided a select group of writers in the United States, Canada, Ghana, and the United Kingdom with a “Write” tab on Twitter. This tab allowed them to create and access their Notes, while their Twitter profiles featured a dedicated Notes tab where followers and other users could conveniently view all their long-form content.
People Also Read: Elon Musk Says Twitter Cash Flow Still Negative
The company explained that Twitter Notes supported various rich formatting options and allowed users to upload media such as photos, videos, GIFs, and even tweets. Once published, writers had the ability to share their Notes with followers through tweets, which could then be retweeted, shared via direct messages, bookmarked, or liked, similar to regular tweets.
The status of Twitter Notes had been uncertain since Elon Musk acquired the social network for $44 billion, as there had been little information about the project in the following months. In November 2022, Platformer reported that Notes had been put on an indefinite “pause.” Additionally, Musk had discontinued other Twitter projects related to reading and writing, such as ad-free articles for subscribers in November 2022 and the newsletter platform Revue in December.
However, it now seems that Twitter Notes is set to make a comeback. On Tuesday, a Twitter user named @FaustoChou tweeted that Notes had been rebranded as “Articles,” suggesting that Twitter may be renewing its efforts to develop the feature. The tweet included a screenshot of the Notes interface, which appeared similar to its previous version, as well as other unreleased features like Twitter Coins.
In response to the tweet, Musk confirmed Twitter’s plans for the project. “This will allow users to post very long, complex articles with mixed media. You could publish a book if you want,” Musk wrote. No further details were provided by the Twitter owner regarding their plans for Notes or Articles, including the timeline for public access or the official launch date.
The announcement comes at a time when the company is focused on retaining creators in the face of increased competition from platforms like Instagram Threads, and they have even started compensating creators with a share of ad revenue, resulting in significant payouts for some creators. The introduction of long-form content could be a valuable asset in retaining writers and creators who desire broader distribution for their articles, which would otherwise be published on their blogs or platforms like Substack, a competitor to Twitter.
People Also Read: Twitter Starts Sharing Ad Revenue With Verified Creators
Substack has directly targeted Twitter with the launch of features such as short-form Notes resembling Twitter and a chat feature that encourages conversations on their own platform instead of social media. In response, Twitter disabled retweets, likes, and replies to tweets containing Substack links. It seems logical for Twitter to now challenge Substack by introducing its own long-form content distribution feature, aiming to regain its position as a platform for diverse conversations, including those exceeding the 240-character limit.