Twitter launches group messaging and mobile video features

Twitter is rolling out two new features on its micro-blogging service: group messaging that allows users to have private conversations with groups of their followers, and a mobile video camera that allows users to share 30-second videos with their followers.
Twitter users can already carry out private conversations with individual followers, using Direct Messages. However, until now the only way to have a group conversation was to have it publicly.
The group messaging function will allow users to have private conversations with a selection of their followers simultaneously. The members of the group do not all need to follow one another in order to chat.
"The ability to converse privately with groups gives you more options for how and with whom you communicate on Twitter," the company said in a blog post.
Twitter also announced a new mobile video feature that allows users to capture, edit and share videos directly from the Twitter app.

Smartphone users who have downloaded the Twitter app can use the in-built mobile video camera to record 30-second videos, edit them using Twitter's inline editing tools, and share them with their followers.

Videos will appear in users' Twitter feeds as thumbnail previews, and can be played with a single tap.
"We designed our camera to be simple to use so you can capture and share life’s most interesting moments as they happen," said Twitter.
"In just a few taps you can add a video to unfolding conversations, share your perspective of a live event, and show your everyday moments instantly, without ever having to leave the app."

iPhone users will also be able to upload videos from their camera roll (a feature that will be available on Twitter's Android app soon).
The new features compete with some of the core functions of Twitter's social media rivals Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook has put a strong emphasis on group messaging since the launch of its stand-alone Messenger app last year, and Instagram introduced video in 2013.
Last week, Twitter reportedly sent out prompts to a number of its high-profile users, suggesting that they stop posting photos from Instagram, and instead post photos directly through Twitter.
Snapchat is also set to launch a new feature called Discover today, which will add music and videos to the messaging app.