Instagram has Instastories, Facebook has its own Story function, and now Twitter is all set to join the game with the launch of Fleets – temporary or fleeting tweets that will disappear 24 hours after being posted.
On Tuesday, the social media platform announced that it will be rolling out the new function globally in the coming days.
How to use Fleets on Twitter
People will be able to Fleet tweets, photos or videos and customise their Fleets with various backgrounds and text options. To share a tweet in a Fleet, they can tap the "Share" icon at the bottom of the tweet and then tap, "Share in Fleet." Text or emojis can also be added to it. Soon, stickers and live broadcasting will be available in Fleets as well.
What is the purpose of the new Fleet function?
The purpose of the new function, according to Twitter, is to encourage people to join in on global conversation. The platform discovered that many of its users were uncomfortable with sharing tweets as they felt they were too permanent. However, because Fleets disappear after a day, people are more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions and feelings through them.
The company tested out the new function in Brazil, Italy, India and South Korea, and learned that Fleets made people feel more comfortable about posting.
The design element looks very similar to that of Instagram stories. Followers will be able to see Fleets at the top of their timeline. Anyone who can see a full profile can see the account's Fleets there too. If an account has open direct messages, anyone can reply to its Fleets.
When someone wants to reply to a Fleet, they can tap on it to send a direct message or emoji to the author, and continue the conversation in their direct messages.
The company has also announced that the feature will be evolving, according to people’s feedback. The exact date of launch in the UAE is yet to be announced but according to Twitter, it will be rolled out globally on iOS and Android in the coming days.
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 3', Saiss 6)
Man of the Match Romain Saiss (Wolves)
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
