TWITTER ALLOWS YOU TO PM THOSE YOU DON’T FOLLOW

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Twitter is one of the most popular social media outlets used today. If you enjoy trolling online, twitter is one of the best places to do it! Or if you just want to know what Justin Bieber and Katy Perry are thinking, Twitter is a great place to start. While Twitter is a great place to get updates on your friends and those you find interesting, up until today, it has had its limitations in terms of being able to send private messages to others on Twitter.

So, what exciting changes did Twitter make today? According to Nhu Vuong a Senior Software Engineer, Twitter is making some major changes to how you are able to use their personal message feature. Nhu stated in a blog post:

Communicating with people you may or may not know in real life just got easier. Previously, if you wanted to send a Direct Message to the ice cream shop down the street about how much you love their salted caramel flavor, you’d have to ask them to follow you first. With today’s changes, the ice cream shop can opt to receive Direct Messages from anyone; so you can privately send your appreciation for the salted caramel without any barriers.

Changes include:

  • A setting that allows you to receive Direct Messages from anyone, even if you don’t follow them.
  • Updated messaging rules so you can reply to anyone who sends you a Direct Message, regardless of whether or not that person follows you.
  • A new Direct Message button on profile pages on Android and iPhone. You’ll see it on the profiles of people you can send Direct Messages to.

We hope these changes help you connect more easily – and directly – on Twitter with the people, causes and businesses you care about most. If you do receive a Direct Message from someone you don’t want to privately converse with, you can still take steps to stop them.

We’re rolling out these changes starting today to all users around the world. And we have lots more in the works to improve Direct Messages on Twitter, so that the private side of Twitter is just as fulfilling as the public side.

This is good move by Twitter that is much overdue. Not allowing  users to personal message those they are not following is an oversight compared to their competition. I can think of a number of times I have sent out personal messages to those I am not friends with on Facebook. Whether you are inviting your wife’s friend to her birthday party (who you are not fond of), or trying to talk someone into letting you buy their twitter handle for your business; the need is there. (We’re still trying to contact @Techsmash) However, we don’t live in a perfect world and there will be a number of users who abuse the ability to send personal messages to those they do not follow. If you are worried about getting messages from the creeper down the street, you still have the option of turning off this feature. Don’t worry its easier than you think, you can visit Twitters help center page and they will walk you through it. 

What are your thoughts? Do you think Twitter made a good move by allowing you to personal message those you do not follow? What are your concerns about this new feature? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.