The Twitter Communities feature is now visible to select users in India who are using an iOS device. The feature has been in testing since September last year for iOS and web users. It is expected to roll out to Android soon as well. Interestingly, WhatsApp is also supposed to be working on a similar feature.
According to Twitter, Communities are places “for conversation where the vibe and tone are set by people who share the same interests and want to have relevant conversations.” But what exactly is the Twitter Communities feature, and how can one join a Community on Twitter right now? We take a look.
What is Twitter Communities ? How can I join?
‘Communities’ is still being tested by Twitter. It is limited to iOS and web and not all users will see the feature immediately. You will be able to join if someone you follow has got the feature and invites you to join this. Once we joined a ‘Community’ on Twitter, we also noticed that the app also give us the option of creating our own Community as well.
The idea behind Communities is to let you “easily find and connect with people who want to talk about the same things you do,” according to Twitter’s initial blog post. Think of Communities as a way to see tweets and links which are relevant to one particular topic, instead of everything else that gets posted on Twitter. For instance, if you are into make-up or music or food, you can create a community around this topic and invite other users who wish to post on these topics to join the same.
According to Twitter’s blog post, while you can “tweet only to your Community for a focused conversation,” the Community pages and timelines are publicly available. So technically anyone can read, quote tweets, and report Community tweets as well. Twitter say they want to “support public conversation and help people find Communities that match their interests, while also creating a more intimate space for conversation.”
Who decides the topic of conversation for a Community?
Those who create the community, aka the moderators, pick the focus area. At the time of setting up your community, you will also be asked to create a name for the community and the purpose. You can also create Rules for each community member to keep in mind. You can then invite others who you think will help add to the conversation.
Once you join a community, you will notice a dedicated tab at the bottom of your Twitter app’s home page. This has a symbol of two people together and is for ‘Communities’. If you tap on it, you will be able to see all the ongoing conversations for the different communities you might have joined.
Few points to keep in mind about Communities
All Communities are publicly visible so everyone can see what’s being discussed. So these are not private groups as such like say Facebook offers.
Even if you join a Community, the Twitter rules continue and you must follow them. Both members and non-members of Communities can report any potential violations of the Twitter Rules to Twitter, according to the company.
According to Twitter, “all moderators have to continuously meet our eligibility requirements, including not violating the Twitter Rules.” It has said it will continue to refine eligibility requirements as it opens this to more people. The Community moderators are approved by Twitter.
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To join a Community, you must have a public account. Protected accounts cannot join a Community for now, though Twitter said they are “currently working on expanding availability to accounts that are protected.”
Once a person becomes a member of a Community, they will receive five invitations to invite more members to the same, according to the blog.
Some Communities have open membership. This means that you can join without an invite.
At any point, members may leave the Community. Moderators may also remove members from the Community for breaking any of the Community rules. If you want to join a Community again after leaving, you may use the original invite you received to rejoin, according to the company.
