Twitter takes on Facebook Groups and Reddit with Communities

Twitter has announced a new feature called Communities. It will allow users to weet to people with similar interests. It is similar to Facebook Groups and Reddit. Twitter Communities is currently being tested on iOS and Web, with Android users set to get it soon. Twitter says that Communities is a way to easily find and connect with people who want to talk about the same things you do. When you join a Community, you can Tweet directly to that group instead of to all your followers. Only members in the same Community are able to reply and join the conversation so it stays intimate and relevant. Communities are publicly visible so everyone can see what's being discussed.

Twitter Communities enables you to connect to users with similar interests. You can Tweet only to your Community for a focused conversation. However, the Community pages and timelines are publicly available so anyone can read, Quote Tweet, and report Community Tweets. Twitter says it wants to continue to support public conversation and help people find Communities that match their interests, while also creating a more intimate space for conversation. Communities is built by moderators who can pick the focus, create the Community rules, and invite the people who will make it a great place for conversation - very similar to Reddit Communities.

Moderators set the Community rules and can also invite others to moderate their space to keep things on track and focused. As of now, Community creation is limited. However, Twitter says it will allow more people to create Communities so everyone can talk about their thing. “Some of the initial Communities we’re testing surround popular conversations on Twitter. Examples include dogs, weather, sneakers, skincare, and astrology, with many more to come, reflecting more of the thriving and niche discussions on Twitter,” wrote the company in a blog post.

Right now, you have to be invited to a Community by a moderator or another member. Twitter will be adding more ways to discover and join Communities soon. Members can access Communities through the dedicated tab at the bottom of the app for iOS, or in the sidebar on Twitter.com.