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A new audio-only chatroom feature called Twitter Spaces may soon be rolling out on Twitter. A private Beta test was launched last month.

Image via Social Media Today

omg is this thing on?

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 16, 2020

The Spaces feature has been compared to the scandal-ridden startup app called Clubhouse, which itself is still in a private invite-only test mode. Clubhouse’s goal is to focus on the “social” aspect of social media by focusing on voice to drive connection.

The design team for Twitter’s voice-focused gathering feature seems to be taking a very transparent approach in order to avoid potential downsides to this feature. The team leading Spaces has its own Twitter account (@TwitterSpaces) where you can see a few wireframes of the designs in progress.

Some of the users have also posted screenshots of the current build. Here are a few from Matt Navarra:

Here’s a few more screenshots of how Twitter’s new audio spaces feature looks... pic.twitter.com/NXEzevIkCs

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) December 17, 2020

How It Works

According to the current Help page, here are a few things to know about using Spaces:

• Start a Space with a long press on compose and then tap the new Spaces icon on the far left. OR, tap on your profile image in Fleets, scroll to the far right, and tap Spaces.

• Invite up to 10 people to speak. This is your space to share thoughts, send emojis, and more.

• Speaking privileges can be given to: Everyone, People you follow, or Only people you invite to speak, which lets you send DM invites.

• Transcriptions can be shared via an optional feature.

• Fleets will automatically show when a Space is live. This appears to look similar to Instagram Live notifications on IG.

• Autodeletion: Spaces are live for as long as they’re open; once ended, they will no longer be available publicly on Twitter. Hosts can download the data and speakers can download transcripts for 30 days or so. (That’s how long the information remains on Twitter’s servers.)

• Limitations: Accounts with protected Tweets are not able to create Spaces. They are able to join and speak in other people’s Spaces, and their presence will be visible to other participants.

• Reactions: According to Social Media Today, Twitter's also testing reactions "similar to hand gestures.”

Why it matters

This is a bold new feature with a lot of potential pitfalls for a platform some already associate with issues like bullying and harassment. For these reasons, it’s likely a good sign that the feature is being tested and rolled out slowly.

If/when the feature becomes more widely available, the true test will be whether or not it catches on. If so, this is a compelling new realm on a major, established platform. There are many possibilities in terms of user engagement, reach, and prominent placement in the app via Fleets. Plus it’s just a really intriguing new way to engage an audience. It will certainly be worth some creative pondering once it’s more widely available.

Another point: If this works out, we could look back at the Spaces + Fleets combo and call it sheer genius.

But if not…

Stay tuned!

Related News

This month, we’ve also got you covered on these important social media news items:

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Like-less Facebook Page design rolling out soon

Facebook Groups add new Engagement Alerts

Twitter testing voice-based Spaces feature

Instagram testing an improved Stories layout for desktop

Here are a few more shareworthy items we’ve been reading…

Channel Updates & News:

• Approve new Facebook Group members with Participant Approvals (FB Community Blog)

• FB’s Brand Collabs Manager now includes FB Group options (FB Community Blog)

• New Branded Content Tag and tools for influencer partnerships (IG Blog)

• Infographic: LinkedIn usage statistics to inform B2B marketers in 2021 (LinkedIn)

• Snapchat broadens eCommerce push with expanded Bitmoji fashion options (Social Media Today)

• New Google feature aggregates short-form videos from TikTok and Instagram (TechCrunch)

• Twitter testing a “Things in Common” feature (Social Media Today)

• Retweets are now functioning like they used to (Twitter Support)

• Pinterest launches new board features for easier planning (Pinterest blog)

Stories & Analysis

• How to utilize the text-based "info-social" trend (IG Blog)

• Reimagining the workplace (predictions for 2021 and beyond) (LinkedIn blog)

• What Santa Can Teach Us About LinkedIn Profiles (LinkedIn blog)

• Analyzing Facebook’s upcoming smart glasses (Social Media Today)

• Latest Facebook campaign against Apple's upcoming data tracking changes (Social Media Today)

• WhatsApp in damage control over privacy concerns (The Verge)

• Insurrection could be a turning point for social media (Marketplace)

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