Twitter Provides Context With Related Headlines Feature

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By Kurt Wagner2013-08-19 19:20:43 UTC

Twitter is great for breaking news or for grabbing a public comment from a celebrity. It's not always as thorough in providing context.

The micro-blogging network is trying to change that with an update it rolled out on Monday. The new feature shares "related headlines" for a tweet; a list of web stories that provide additional context from various media outlets. Open up a tweet by clicking the 'details' button or miniature time stamp in the upper right corner and you see a list of web stories in which that tweet was embedded.

Not all tweets will have related headlines, of course — only tweets popular or relevant enough to have been embedded in a post. The new feature is intended to provide tweets with a little more context by offering a glimpse at "the stories behind a Tweet," according to Twitter's blog.

The feature is now fully integrated with the platform, though Twitter has been testing it since early July. It's all part of CEO Dick Costolo's plan to enhance Twitter's usability during live events like the Super Bowl or the Oscars, when the site tends to see spikes in traffic. By enabling users to gather more depth and context from the tweets on their feed, Twitter can help ensure users keep scrolling through their timelines to get breaking stories.

The new feature could also presumably benefit media outlets whose stories could get more circulation. As Twitter described it to developers on its Developers Blog: "We think this will help more people discover the larger story behind the Tweet, drive clicks to your articles, and help grow your audience on Twitter."

Below are a few examples of the feature in action with past stories.

NBA player Jason Collins announces he's gay in a cover story from Sports Illustrated:

Jason-Collins-Tweet