Twitter is connecting people with the launch of Communities

There’s always been a broad, weird and wonderful range of conversations on Twitter, but the platform has been missing a simple way to connect people who are into the same things. And now, that’s changing. Starting today, Twitter is testing Communities, a way to easily find and connect with people who want to talk about the same things.

Tweet to your Community

Some conversations aren’t for everyone, just the people who want to talk about a particular topic.  When people join a community, they can Tweet directly to that group instead of to all their followers. Only members in the same Community are able to reply and join the conversation so it stays intimate and relevant. 

While people can Tweet directly to their Community for a focused conversation, Communities pages and timelines are publicly available so anyone can read, Quote Tweet, and report Community Tweets. Twitter wants to continue to support public conversation and help people find Communities that match their interests while also creating a more intimate space for conversation. 

Creating, moderating, and finding Communities

With Communities, moderators pick the focus, create the Community rules, and invite the people who will make it a great place for conversation. Think of Communities as places created for conversation where the vibe and tone is set by people who share the same interests and want to have relevant conversations. Moderators set the Community rules and can also invite others to moderate their space to keep things on track and focused. Right now, Community creation is limited but in the coming months, Twitter will allow more people to create Communities so everyone can talk about their thing, whatever it is. Some of the initial Communities the platform is testing surround popular conversations on Twitter including dogs, weather, sneakers and skincare,  with many more to come, reflecting more of the thriving and niche discussions on the platform. Right now, people have to be invited to a Community by a moderator or another member, but more ways to discover and join Communities will be added soon. 

Twitter is supporting healthy conversations in Communities

• Communities are publicly visible so everyone can see what’s being discussed.
• All Communities and their members must follow the Twitter Rules. Both members and non-members of Communities can report any potential violations of the Twitter Rules to Twitter.
• All moderators have to continuously meet Twitter’s  eligibility requirements, including not violating the Twitter Rules. As Twitter opens up Community creation and moderation to more people, the platform will continue to refine eligibility requirements. During initial testing, Community moderators will be approved by the platform. 
• Adapting Twitter Rules and enforcement actions to keep people safe with Communities. This includes developing ways to proactively identify potentially problematic Communities, new reporting flows, and bespoke enforcement actions.

Twitter will continue to research, scenario plan, and work with outside experts including its Trust and Safety Council to keep people safe within Communities.

This is just the start for Communities – Twitter will test, learn, and iterate based on people’s feedback. 

Members can access Communities through the dedicated tab at the bottom of the app for iOS, or in the sidebar on Twitter.com. People can read Community Tweets on Twitter for Android too with more functionality coming soon. Anyone globally can be invited to join a Community via Direct Messages