I accidentally stumbled upon TwitterSpaces because I saw the hashtag on my timeline and was curious to find out more. A few clicks later I was able to join a Space where the Twitter development team explained the latest features, and asked the testers for feedback. Crowdsourcing at its finest and I wanted in.
I did a bit of searching and found a sign up form. And surprisingly, the next day I discovered that the Twitter people had decided to grant me access and I was able to start a Space (yes, they work in mysterious ways and no, I don’t have connections).
Spaces is a means to have a conversation with your followers (and everyone else who decides to join). It only works on mobile phones. If someone you follow is a beta-host, you’ll see a purple circle around their profile pic in Fleets once they open a Space.
Most of my Spaces experiences have been excellent. Some were less enjoyable, mostly because it’s a bit of a gamble to invite users to speak, especially if you don’t know who they are. A few people were rude, some used foul language and had to be removed. As a host, you need to be on top of things and enforce the rules of your space.
Keeping people in the Space safe is an important topic and one that the developers spend time on. The whole point of audio is to give people a voice, but what happens when they use it to abuse others? Do you get a warning when someone you’ve blocked is in a Space? It’s a serious issue that needs a careful consideration and fortunately, the developers are constantly asking for feedback and ideas.
Still, there’s a lot to be done by the development folks of Twitter. I want to applaud them for what they are developing and how: for constantly sharing their concepts, asking for feedback and allowing us to be part of the build. I enjoy being a part of this!