Users will probably never see a Twitter edit button

Jack Dorsey, CEO & Co-Founder, Twitter answers a few users' questions and also explains how to get verified on the platform.

In the video Q&A with Wired, Jack Dorsey explains the approach towards the platform's symbolic features such as character limit and edit button and also provides solutions for more users' concerns on Twitter.

Character Limit

Dorsey explains the original character limit of Twitter - 140 characters, was equal to one text message, as the whole service is based on Short Message Service(SMS). He believes the character limit also inspired creativity and resonated with comedians, journalists, poets and creatives of all types.

Although he adds we later decided to double it down which seems enough for most people and if it's not enough for a user, they can use threads. So despite the 280 character limit, linking tweets makes it limitless.

Edit Button

Edit button is a feature users have not given up on for quite a while now. Previously, in an interview with Joe Rogan, Dorsey had mentioned they were contemplating on having the edit button and maybe a 5-30 seconds window to edit a tweet.

He responds to the most demanded feature of all time with "We'll probably never do it". The reason the edit option was not available in the first place also comes from the ideology of being based on the SMS service, "Once you send a text, you can’t take it back".

He also mentions that if a tweet that has been retweeted by a user, and a user edits it and changes the context of the tweet, the person that retweeted is now rebroadcasting completely different.

Also Read: Twitter speaks about attempts to reduce hate speech

Misspelled Hashtags

A user suggests a spell-check feature to correct misspelled hashtags.

Twitter's algorithm detects if the used hashtags are actually trending and groups them together, even if you have misspelled the trending hashtags.

How to get verified on Twitter and get the blue checkmark?

Kayvon Beykpour handles all of the verification processes on Twitter and if you contact or mention him, you will most likely receive a response.

Does Twitter sell your data?

Dorsey claims Twitter does not sell your data, instead it matches your interests with relevant advertisers

Considerations

A user suggested Twitter should show the number of times a tweet link has been copied because users send tweets with the "Did you see this one?!" message. Dorsey thinks its a good idea and will consider it.

Another user suggests a dislike button, Dorsey mentions he'll convey it to the team and get on it. The suggestion of an option to use regex on muted tweets is also being considered by Dorsey.

Twitter recently announced the launch of the feature - Topics, a way to consume content about subjects. A user suggested an option to follow hashtags instead. Dorsey says their approach is better because it'll show relevant topics if the hashtag is not mentioned.