If you use the Twitter app, you may have noticed the button between your ‘search’ button and your ‘notifications’ button. This is Twitter Spaces, a new way of using Twitter!
Launched in November 2021, Twitter Spaces is a feature that allows you to talk in real-time to your followers with audio.
The Twitter network SMESupportHour let me try it out with them, but before we get into that, what is a Twitter Space?
10 things you should know about Twitter Spaces
1 – Twitter Spaces are currently only available via the app (on both Android and iOS).
2 – If you have more than 300 followers you can host a Space; a host can add you as a speaker regardless of your follower count.
3 – If the host leaves the Space, the Space will end – unless there is a co-host.
4 – Co-hosts have the same admin rights as the host. This can be useful in case the host accidentally drops out of the Space, or if they would rather focus on talking rather than the admin work.
5 – Spaces are public and unlimited, so anyone on Twitter can listen in (with the exception of those who are blocked by the host).
6 – A maximum of 13 people can speak at the same time (including the host and any co-hosts).
7 – A listener can request to speak by tapping their microphone -this means Spaces can be used to hold a Q&A.
8 – If you are a host or a speaker in a Space, it will appear at the top of your followers’ Home timelines.
9 – In a Space, if a listener selects the three dots at the top right, they can then turn on live captions. This makes Spaces accessible to those with hearing impairments.
10 – As a listener, there is no need to stay on the same page the whole time, you can even leave the app and continue to listen in!
My experience using Twitter Spaces
On Wednesday 8th of December 2021 at 8 pm, I joined SMESupportHour’s first-ever Space.
Side note: In a previous article I mentioned how you could use Twitter’s various Networking Hours. #SMESupportHour, every Wednesday night from 8 til 9 is an ideal one to try!
SMESupportHour had put together a really interesting line-up of speakers, each one said a little bit about their business and gave their top tip. The second half of the hour flowed easily and turned into a very interesting conversation.
When I wasn’t speaking, I was playing around on the Space and seeing how well the various features worked. I tested the ‘captions’ feature mentioned above and was pleasantly surprised at how well it picked up the different accents. I also really like the fact that listeners can react with emojis while the conversation is happening (to use this feature, click on the little heart+).
In my opinion, it’s missing an “I can’t hear” button. When it was my time to speak, the host was unable to hear me and filled what was to her an awkward silence. Unfortunately, the host was the only one unable to hear me. Later, when another speaker was to talk, no one could hear them and, understandably, the host didn’t want to interrupt another speaker and it made for an awkward silence. Imagine a little button to let the host know that you can’t hear. If a lot came in, the host would know there was a problem. Hopefully, Twitter will create this in the future!
How successful was it? The beauty of Twitter Spaces is that listeners can drop in and out as they please – this makes it quite hard to count the number of listeners, but the most we had at one time was 13 (including the host and speakers). Although it hasn’t brought in any new clients, it did give me an extra 5 followers and allowed me to try out the new feature.
Will I do it again? Yes. Absolutely. It’s a great way to get followers to put a voice to my tweets, and I believe that as the feature grows in popularity it will only become more beneficial. I will also be more than happy to co-host Spaces for my clients and focus on the admin side of it while they speak with their followers.
