Twitter launches new ‘Toolkit’ and ‘Article’ features – Blog tips and events for content creators everywhere

A weekly roundup of social media headlines.

Get 411 on the latest updates from the social platforms you love (or love to hate). This week, we’re covering Twitter’s ‘Articles’, their brand new ‘Toolbox’ hub filled with all the analytics and performance metrics your little heart craves, and updates to the polling feature. Instagram story.

Twitter is testing “articles” – A long way to tweet

Are we, as a society, ready to say goodbye to celebrity apologies via Notes app screenshots?

Twitter is testing a new “Articles” option in a bid to allow users to share longer posts in the app. Previously, if you had more than 280 thoughtful characters on a topic, you might find yourself creating long Twitter threads (basically replying to your own Tweets). With Twitter’s new Articles feature, users will be able to add blog posts to their profiles and timelines, which can then be shared as a Tweet, much like sharing an article on your Twitter feed now. – you will be able to caption your article when you share it with your followers, but you must respect the aforementioned limit of 280 characters.

As a go-to platform for internet discourse, finding a way for users to express themselves in long-form posts seems like a natural next step for Twitter. The Notes app would shake.

Speaking of Twitter – Introducing the Toolkit Hub

Another Twitter update! The platform announced the launch of something called the “Toolbox” Hub earlier this week, which marks an evolution of Twitter to not only provide its users with more in-depth analytics and performance metrics, as well as news security measures, content filters and beyond:

Twitter Toolkit is your go-to place to learn about self-service tools that add new features to your Twitter experience. These tools were created by developers to make Twitter better and safer. So whether you want to improve the way you compose and manage Tweets, filter out unwanted content, or understand how your Tweets are performing, there’s a tool for you.

Interestingly, many features of Twitter’s toolkit aren’t free, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest. Take a look at what the platform offers and consider whether these tools are right for you or not!

Customize your Instagram Story polls

You may have noticed that Instagram has made some slight changes to the beloved IG Story Polls sticker. Not only can you now swap out your survey color to match your personal aesthetic, but you can now have up to four responses to your survey. This is great news for those of us who ask the tough questions on our Instagram stories – sometimes a binary is just too restrictive, right?

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