‘Your Tweets Aren’t for Everyone:’ Twitter Rolls out Circle Feature to Keep Individual Tweets Private

Let’s see if you’re special enough to get in someone’s Circle! Image: Courtesy of Twitter

To everyone who has ever typed out a tweet and then hesitated to send it (this is probably wise), Twitter has a solution for you. The social media platform released its new Twitter Circle feature to all users on iOS, Android, and web on Tuesday, along with a simple plea: “use it. please.”

With Twitter Circle, users can send tweets limited to a select group of people of their choosing, or their “Circle.” Circles can include up to 150 people, Twitter explained, and users can manage who is in and out of their Circle at any time. Each account is only allotted one Twitter Circle, and only you can see who is in yours. Also, don’t worry, Twitter won’t tell someone else if you kicked them out of your Circle (the horror). Users viewing a tweet sent to a Circle will see that the post’s visibility is limited.

“giving you all Twitter Circle because sometimes your Tweets aren’t for everyone,” Twitter tweeted from its official account on Tuesday morning. “add up to 150 people to yours and use it. please.”

How to Identify Tweets From Twitter Circle

According to Twitter, tweets sent to people in a user’s Twitter Circle will have a green badge under them, similar to the badges that appear when people limit replies to only folks they’ve mentioned or followed.

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Tweets sent to your Twitter Circle can’t be retweeted or shared, although people can like and reply to them. Furthermore, all replies to tweets sent to your Circle will remain private even if you have a public account. This doesn’t mean that tweets shared to your Twitter Circle will never see the light of day, though.

“Please remember that your Twitter Circle members can still download, capture and / or re-share images or screenshots of your Twitter Circle content,” Twitter wrote in its help center section on the feature.

Twitter Says Twitter Circle Makes Users Tweet More

Twitter excitedly claims that users involved in its pilot of the feature in recent months love it. In fact, the company stated that people who used Twitter Circles tweeted more and had increased engagement rates on tweets to their Circle.

The company said that this feature helped users feel more comfortable sending out tweets and eliminated the need for secondary accounts. Folks who use Twitter Circle also don’t have to continuously toggle between protected and public account settings, the company said.

“We want to ensure everyone on Twitter has the choice, control, tools, and transparency to join the conversation how and when they want, and Twitter Circle is another important step in that direction,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the feature.

Now, let’s see if you’re special enough to get in your friends’ Circles.