Twitter allows direct messages from all
The short message service Twitter is changing an important rule: From now on, Twitter users can receive personal messages from all other users. Until now, users had to follow each other in order to exchange direct messages.
The new feature is intended to make it easier for users to communicate with each other without everyone else noticing, Nhu Vuong from Twitter's development team wrote on the company blog. Until now, users had to publicly ask their desired communication partner on Twitter or on another channel to follow each other and then contact them via private message. In the future, this will no longer be necessary if the account accepts direct messages from everyone. This requires consent in the account's settings. Owners of a high-reach account - such as companies or celebrities - can communicate more easily with their customers or fans directly with the new feature. In the blog post, Twitter cites a coffee shop as an example that can receive direct customer feedback this way. However, the new direct communication channel also carries the risk that Twitter direct messages can be misused for unsolicited spam messages. (SDA)
