This morning, Twitter announced several big changes. First, users will be able to post 140-second videos, instead of the previous limit of 30 seconds. And the company rolled out a new, stand-alone app called Twitter Engage. It’s available only on iOS devices and is designed to let users track their influence and, well, engage more personally with fans.
While the extra 110 seconds of video coming to take over your feed is a big deal, even more significant is that Twitter also announced that certain publishers will be able to post videos up to ten minutes in length. “We’re investing heavily in videos and creators. We want to be the best place for creators and influencers to build an audience and make it easier for creators to make money on Twitter, and soon, Vine,” said Jack Dorsey of the new app, The Wall Street Journal reports. Which means Twitter, like Facebook, Snapchat, and Tronc, are joining the mad scramble for monetized video.
“Twitter Engage, a new companion app for Twitter, is available today and provides real-time data and insights, allowing you to quickly understand, engage, and grow your audiences,” the company explained in a blog post, as though the OG Twitter app had gotten lonely and needed a new pal.
The new app does not have a newsfeed like regular Twitter. Instead, the app has three tabs: one to track analytics and tweet impressions over a period of time; another for a closer look at how people are interacting with your individual tweets; and a third to show your key interactions, like verified accounts and and users with whom you share a lot of followers. It’s available for anyone with an iPhone to download, but unless you actually have fans or a decent-sized following (you know who you are), the app is probably not for you. You can, though, also tweet directly from the Engage app, without having to read tweets from your ex, second cousin, or that great guy from your high school who still hasn’t quite figured out memes.
