Twitter enables longer tweets as part of growth push

Twitter announced Monday it was easing its 140-character limit on tweets, in the latest effort to broaden the appeal and boost the user base of the social network.

The new policy announced in May and now in effect no longer factors in certain add-ons, including pictures, into a message’s length.

“Say more about what’s happening! Rolling out now,” said an official tweet from San Francisco-based Twitter.

Media attachments such as photos, videos and polls are exempted from the character limit, as well as tweets that are quoted in a retweet.

The move comes as Twitter’s efforts to increase its user base and engagement have been sputtering, raising questions about its growth trend as it seeks to keep pace in the fast-moving world of social media.

The latest move eases but does not eliminate the 140-character limit, which was put in place due to mobile phone text messaging constraints when Twitter launched in 2006.

Analysts have said Twitter needs to find new ways to boost its appeal beyond a core of celebrities, politicians and journalists, with its user base stagnant for the past year.

In its last quarterly update, Twitter said the number of monthly active users edged up to 313 million, up three percent from a year ago and only slightly more than the 310 million in the prior quarter.

Twitter has yet to post a profit, even as it has ramped up its efforts in advertising.

Amid reports that Twitter may be seeking ways to cut costs or even sell itself, the San Francisco-based service has been adding new features including live video.