Twitter is introducing a spanking new edit feature on its platform. The microblogging site, for long, refused its users the option of editing their tweets. Thus, material once posted remained unchangeable. One could choose the nuclear option and delete the tweet(s), retyping it with the necessary edits. But after extended discussions among the social media giant’s top brass, the edit button makes its foray into Twitter-verse. Presently in its testing phase, the feature will be rolled out within weeks. 

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The option won’t be available to all, however. The initial rollout takes in paid subscribers only. While most haven’t come across subscription-only Twitter, users can pay a monthly sum of $4.99 to access Twitter Blue, an exclusive platform for users to access premium features. Given that Twitter Blue is limited to users in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (across platforms- iOS, Android and Web), subscription-paying Twitterati from the four countries will be the first to avail of the feature. 

How will it work? 

The edit option allows users to make changes to their posts within 30 minutes of their publication, writes Twitter Inc. in a blog post. Further, edited tweets will contain appropriate markers- icon, timestamp and labels- to ensure that users are aware that tweets have been edited: 

“Tweets will be able to be edited a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication. Edited Tweets will appear with an icon, timestamp, and label so it’s clear to readers that the original Tweet has been modified. Tapping the label will take viewers to the Tweet’s Edit History, which includes past versions of the Tweet,” reads the blog. 

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Unlike other social media platforms, the 30-minute time limit for editing tweets will be imposed, to maintain the sincerity of the original posts:  

“For context, the time limit and version history play an important role here. They help protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said,” added Twitter. 

After the initial rollout, one expects the feature will be available to all users in the coming days.