Twitter is now catering to the commitment phobic.
This morning, the company launched Fleets—a portmanteau of “fleeting” and “tweets”—which exit only for 24 hours.
The feature is an effort to engage more people on the social media platform, because Fleets feel less public and less permanent, especially for those new to Twitter.
Here’s how to Fleet:
- Tap the “Share” icon at the bottom on a tweet.
- Select “Share in Fleet.”
- Add whatever you want—text, photos, videos, emojis, etc. (Currently, live broadcasting and stickers aren’t available for Fleets, but the company says they’re coming.)
- If you choose to, customize your background and text.
Followers and anyone who can see your full profile can see Fleets at the top of their home timeline. You use Direct Messages to reply to Fleets.
Other social media platforms with similar now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t options include Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.
Earlier this month, WhatsApp introduced disappearing messages.
San Francisco-based Twitter first tested what it calls an “ephemeral format” in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea.
“We saw people with Fleets talk more on Twitter,” the Twitter blog explains. “Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings.”
After the announcement for the tweet-shy, Twitter stock was up slightly in early-morning trading: $42.84 per share, an increase of 11 cents or 0.26%.
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