Twitter comes full circle with status feature test

A new status feature has started to appear for some Twitter users that allows them to assign one of several pre-written labels to their tweets. A company spokesman confirmed the limited test in a statement given to TechCrunchwhile Twitter users have been sharing screenshots of the feature in action.

“For a limited time, we’re testing a feature that allows you to add a status topic from a predetermined list to your tweets to provide more context to your followers,” the Twitter spokesperson said. “So whether you’re about to launch a hot Tweet thread, share your shower thoughts, or have a bad case of Mondays, your Tweets can better convey what you’re up to.”

From the screenshots of the feature, it appears that many of the statuses are designed to replace the titles and emoji that Twitter users often put at the beginning of their tweets and Twitter threads. There is an “A Thread” status that includes the Spool of Thread emoji, “Spoiler Alert” with a warning sign emoji, or “AMA” with a microphone. In theory, being able to put this information in a status should save users valuable characters in their tweets.

The feature in development was previously discovered in Twitter’s code. by application researcher Jane Manchun Wong. At the time, statuses could be posted to a tweet or general profile, but this latest test only allows users to attach them to specific tweets. You can click on a status to discover other tweets that contain those same words.

Screenshots: twitter.com

If the feature reminds you of the old LiveJournal or AIM states, then we wouldn’t blame you. But the most interesting thing is the roots that the function has in the history of Twitter itself. in a Blog post from over a decade agoTwitter co-founder Biz Stone highlighted how the platform was originally conceived as a “mobile status update service” designed to let people share what they were doing at any time. But, as of 2009, Stone said that Twitter had outgrown this original purpose and was serving more as a general-purpose information network. The new Status feature doesn’t look like it’s going to reverse that trend, but it revives Twitter’s old purpose a bit.

It’s not known if, or even when, the Status function might see wider implementation. It’s part of a growing list of features in development at the social network, which also includes mixed media tweets which could allow you to add images and videos to a single post, a downvote buttonand the option of Give prizes to tweets.