Twitter is testing a new feature called Twitter Circle. It allows users to share their tweets with up to 150 people, rather than sharing their content publicly, MacRumors reported. Each user will be able to create a Twitter Circle that consists of people who will be able to see the user’s Twitter Circle tweets.
TechCrunch reported that Twitter Circle is the app’s spin on an Instagram-like “Close Friends” feature. According to TechCrunch, Twitter’s feature was teased as one of the many potential product updates in July, and last month, it cropped up live due to a bug. Now, a small number of users can post to their 150 closest friends as the feature enters a live testing phase.
At the time I am writing this, Twitter Circle has not rolled out to me. I’m hoping I will get to try it out soon.
One of the things I really like about Mastodon is that you can have a private account (which can only be seen by the people who you follow). You can pick and choose which of your Toots you want to make public for everyone – not just the people you follow – can see. I tend to use that feature to pass around useful information to those who are new to Mastodon.
Twitter posted a list of information about what Twitter Circle is and how it works. Here are some of the important parts of that list:
Twitter Communities is not the same as Twitter Circle. Communities offers people a dedicated place to connect, share, and get closer to the discussions they care about most with anyone on Twitter. Twitter Circle is for sharing the Tweets you only want to share with the people you choose to see them.
How is Twitter Circle different from having a protected account? Setting your account to protected status, means only your followers can see Tweets you share each time you compose and send a Tweet. You update this setting once, and it remains in place until you turn it off. With Twitter Circle you choose your audience each time you compose a Tweet. You’ll have the option to send one Tweet to your Circle and the next to all your followers.
Twitter Circle is available to a limited number of people globally on Twitter for iOS, Twitter for Android and twitter.com. If Twitter Circle is available to you, you’ll see the option to create a Circle when you compose a new Tweet.
People in your Twitter Circle can’t use the Retweet icon to share your Twitter Circle Tweets on Twitter, or in their own Twitter Circle. Twitter reminds you that your Twitter Circle members can still download, capture and/or re-share images or screenshots of your Twitter Circle content.
Only you can see the full list of people in your Twitter Circle. Although people won’t see a list of Circle members, when someone likes or replies to a Twitter Circle Tweet you share, members see your interaction, unless your account is protected. If someone in your Twitter Circle keeps a protected account, only their followers who are also in your Twitter Circle will see their interaction.