{"id":74149,"date":"2020-12-14T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.online-tech-tips.com\/?p=74149"},"modified":"2024-05-30T23:10:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T03:10:20","slug":"what-is-a-twitter-fleet-and-why-would-you-use-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.online-tech-tips.com\/what-is-a-twitter-fleet-and-why-would-you-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Twitter Fleet and Why Would You Use It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Twitter<\/a> has always been a hard social media service to explain. To outsiders, the concept of a Tweet doesn\u2019t make a whole lot of sense. However, once you\u2019ve tried Twitter it can be one of the most engaging and dynamic social media services out there.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter itself has also changed often over the years. It\u2019s introduced longer Tweets, threads, polls, GIFs, videos and more. The latest change to the service is the addition of a so-called \u201cFleet\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is a Twitter Fleet? The answer is a little complicated, but we\u2019re going to make it as simple as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Twitter Fleet Exactly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Fleet is an alternative type of Tweet. It doesn\u2019t go into the regular timeline of other users. Instead, it must be viewed from its own special section of the mobile app. The most important aspect of Fleets is, as the name suggests, that they are fleeting. Your Fleets will disappear after 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleets can\u2019t be retweeted and there\u2019s no public feedback to them. If someone does react to a Fleet, it will show up as a direct message. Assuming that person can DM you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do Fleets Exist?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Twitter\u2019s official Fleet post<\/a> from their blog explains that Fleets are designed to address the perceived discomfort some people have with tweeting. These users feel that tweets are too public and can feel uncomfortable sending certain Tweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, Twitter wants people to stay on the site and not change over to Snapchat<\/a> or WhatsApp<\/a> to share more intimate content with a small, more personal circle of followers. From our point of view Fleets essentially offer a parallel social media platform that offers some of the feel and function of competing services. Right now, they don\u2019t seem to intersect with Twitter proper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can You Fleet?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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While you can\u2019t use hashtags or @ anyone in a Fleet, you can share text, videos, GIFs and photos. Text in this case can mean two different things. On an image (not video) you can place words anywhere on the fleet, choosing different colors and formatting. The other type of text you can add is \u201calt\u201d text. That\u2019s a text caption that isn\u2019t superimposed on the Fleet, but that users can read as a separate piece of text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Send a Fleet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the time of writing, the Fleet function is only available on the iOS and Android mobile phone apps. It\u2019s not available on desktop browsers or on the iPad app. Sending a Fleet is easy. Here\u2019s the process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. First, go to your home feed<\/strong>.<\/li>
  2. Scroll to the top if necessary.<\/li>
  3. You\u2019ll see a bar with a circular profile picture, representing Fleets.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    1. Select the camera icon that\u2019s labeled Add<\/strong>.<\/li>
    2. Now select between Text, Gallery, Capture or Video<\/strong> as your type of content.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
      1. Create or add content.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
        1. Once you\u2019re ready, select Fleet<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          You can also share a Tweet in a Fleet! Try saying \u201cTweet in a Fleet\u201d ten times quickly. We failed miserably when we tried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          To share a Tweet in a Fleet, select the share button<\/strong> and then choose the Share in a Fleet<\/strong> option. Here you still have the option to add some text to include your own opinion or comment, before hitting the Fleet<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Incidentally, you don\u2019t need to wait for the 24-hour period to run out to get rid of a Fleet. Just tap on your own profile picture in the Fleets bar. Then use the dropdown at the top right to select Delete Fleet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Interacting With Other Fleets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          To see the fleets that other people have sent, there are two locations you\u2019ll want to visit. The Fleets bar, where you create your own Fleets, will also display the profile pictures of other users who you follow and their recent Fleets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Select any of their pictures to see their Fleets. If you have permissions to DM them, you\u2019ll be able to leave a message about the Fleet that they\u2019ll see as a Direct Message. You can also simply respond with an emoji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You can also see someone\u2019s Fleets by going to their profile page and tapping on their profile picture. If there are fleets, the picture will have a blue border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Fleets are a great way to start a personal one-on-one conversation with someone, so if you don\u2019t want to start a deeper chat, think twice about responding to a Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The Best Types of Fleet Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          With new types of content like Fleets, it can be hard to decide what to do with them. So, what should you Fleet? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          First, don\u2019t feel pressured to use Fleets. If your main reason for being on Twitter is to engage with people and share things publicly, Twitter Fleets aren\u2019t really for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Think about who\u2019ll see the Fleet. It could either be someone who checks your Fleets manually on your profile page or a follower who sees it in the Fleets bar. Those users will be interested in more personal Tweets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Eat something cool for lunch? That\u2019s better as a Fleet. Caught your cat making a weird face? That\u2019s good as a Fleet as well. Of course, plenty of Fleet pioneers are going to figure out what works best as a Fleet rapidly. So the best strategy is to examine the Fleets of other people to get a feel for the correct vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          As mentioned above, Twitter Fleets are likely to start personal conversations with people. So it\u2019s a good place to post things that specifically ask questions or are designed to elicit a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Finally, take advantage of sequential Fleets to tell a story. Multiple Fleets essentially turn into a slideshow, opening up many creative options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What NOT to Fleet on Twitter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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          While Fleets may delete themselves after a day, that\u2019s no excuse to put questionable content or inappropriate opinions out into the world with them. Fleets may not show up in a future audit of your social media history, but it\u2019s easy for someone to take a screenshot and post it to regular Twitter. In short, a Fleet is not a license to be a horrible person online without consequences. You\u2019ve been warned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          To Fleet or Not to Fleet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new social media feature. Everyone wants to try it and the early days are going to be a little awkward. Eventually people will figure out how to use Fleets in the best way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Chances are that what they end up being popular for won\u2019t be something that the people at Twitter intended. That is, if they stick around at all. It\u2019s more common for experimental social media features to quietly disappear than for them to become popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Either way, there\u2019s no downside to ignoring Fleets completely for now. Thanks to the way they are designed, they aren\u2019t much use for social media clout. So anyone who\u2019s on Twitter to grow an audience will find their appeal limited. If you\u2019re a Twitter lurker on the other hand, Fleets might be just what you\u2019ve been waiting for to share your thoughts in a semi-private way. Let us know how it works out for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Twitter has always been a hard social media service to explain. To outsiders, the concept of a Tweet doesn\u2019t make a whole lot of sense. However, once you\u2019ve tried Twitter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":74150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5267],"tags":[5339],"class_list":{"0":"post-74149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-social-media","8":"tag-x-twitter"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.online-tech-tips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/What-Is-A-Twitter-Fleet-And-Why-Would-You-Use-It.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Sydney Butler","author_link":"https:\/\/www.online-tech-tips.com\/author\/sbutler\/"},"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t