Twitter to stop counting link, photo URL characters


Sarah Frier for Bloomberg:

The social media company will soon stop counting photos and links as part of its 140-character limit for messages, according to a person familiar with the matter. The change could happen in the next two weeks, said the person who asked not to be named because the decision isn't yet public. Links currently take up 23 characters, even after Twitter automatically shortens them. The company declined to comment.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. I think the 140 character limit is the best part of Twitter, embedding links and photos is the second best part. Penalizing engaging content puts a cramp on the medium, I think. The power of 140 characters isn't jamming 140 characters into a space, but forcing people to efficiently compose a message. Photos and links shouldn't be a part of the message, but a rather supplement.