The ability to edit tweets in order to correct typos has been top of the list of requested features for many years. Testing finally began earlier this month, and Twitter has now shared a few more details.
We already knew that there would be a 30-minute time limit between tweeting and editing the tweet, and that an edit history would be available to highlight any abuse of the feature …
Twitter shared with 9to5Mac more information regarding how editing a tweet will work. As of now, the company is testing this feature with a small group to help the platform identify and resolve potential issues before the general release.
In this test, tweets will be able to be edited a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication. Edited tweets will appear with an icon, timestamp, and label. As previously reported by Jane Manchun Wong, users can tap the label to see the Edit History of the post, which will bring past versions of the tweet for context.
The company has now told TechCrunch that the “few times” limit has, for now, been set to five. This would allow for the correction of typos by even the most ham-fisted of typists; sometimes rushing to correct something before people jump on it can lead to the introduction of another error.
Twitter says that this number could, however, be changed later. It will monitor usage to find out how people use the feature, in a bid to find the optimum balance between correction of errors and the potential for abuse.
We already knew that the ability to edit tweets will require a Twitter Blue subscription, though TechCrunch does now say that it will be “first available” to subscribers, suggesting that it may roll out to everyone at a later date.
The company also revealed its geographic roll-out plan.
Twitter confirmed that New Zealand-based subscribers will first get the feature and it will be later pushed to Twitter Blue users in Australia, Canada, and the U.S once it learns more about usage patterns. So subscribers in these three countries might have to wait a bit longer and use the service without the marquee feature.
The introduction of an edit feature has taken such a long time due to controversy over the issue. Some have argued that it’s incredibly annoying to spot a typo in a tweet shortly after you’ve posted, but be unable to correct it without deleting the tweet and reposting – which will lose any comments and retweets.
Others have been more concerned about the potential for abuse. Someone could tweet something innocuous, wait until the post has received likes and retweets, then change it to something else entirely. Twitter hopes that setting a short time-limit will reduce the potential for misuse.
The nervousness of the social network about introducing an edit feature may have been exacerbated by the current focus on the company’s reported security failings. Its former head of security filed an 84-page complaint about “extreme, egregious deficiencies,” resulting in a Senate investigation. The last thing it will want is for misuse of the Edit Tweet feature to result in yet more negative PR.
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