By: Kiandra Florence | @KiandraRenae

Twitter is constantly updating and adding new features to its site. They just recently added polls in which users can embed surveys into their tweets. They have even changed their original star-shaped “favorites” button to a heart-shaped “like.” One of their newest features is the lightning bolt shaped Moments tab. It may seem overwhelming at first, especially if you don’t know how to navigate through it. If you are confused as to why this feature even exists, or how it can be useful, do not fret because we have all you need to know about it.

Twitter Moments are a cool new component that's been added to make it easier for users to stay up to date on things going on in the world. Moments allows users to explore the best tweets of the day, all in an instant. With a simple swipe, users are able to dive into the newspaper-style expansion to either engage in the news, sports, fun, entertainment or ‘today’ tweets. The content also includes video footage, pictures, and gifs. For those who can’t seem to find tweets that correlate with real-time events, such as the Super Bowl or the Grammys, Moments collectively brings together the most entertaining, viral and newsworthy stories. Users are also able to follow moments to bring all of the content directly to their timeline. Once the moment is over they will stop seeing tweets. Moments can be accessed on iPhone, Android, and desktop browsers. Unfortunately, the feature is currently only available in the United States.

Twitter recently released an ad that sparked mixed reactions on the Moments feature. The ad gave insight on the aspect of the Moments tab from the eyes of World Series fans. While some people got the gist of the commercial, others felt it was confusing. The ad ironically caused a backlash on Twitter.

Moments was created not only to engage the current 300 million users, but to attract non-Twitter users, as well. It is perfect for people who want to know what current events are happening and when there are certain special events, such as the Democratic presidential candidates debate, Moments is perfect to review all that is happening. Twitter put together a team of people to write and create editorial features for every moment created. According to Twitter, when creating a Moment you should consider:

Every Moment should provide information or an angle that is unique to Twitter.
Every Moment should inspire viewers to want to share it.
Every Moment should be timely.
Every Moment should highlight the people, voices, and perspectives of a story.
Every Moment should rely heavily on visual imagery; text-only Tweets should be reserved for the most powerful and affecting messages.

The unique thing about Twitter Moments is its ability to provide breaking news and trending stories in an instant. Though Moments does not provide in-depth news stories, it is great for keeping the public informed and in-the-know. Moments can be useful for engagement, information, visual content and real-time updates. With millions of tweets posted on a daily basis, it makes it easier for users to get a glimpse of what they have missed. Twitter Moments makes the huge world seem much smaller by bringing it together in one place.

Do you think this information on Twitter Moments was insightful? Do you think that the Moments feature is a good or bad extension on Twitter? Share your comments below!

Twitter Has Been Waiting Forever for a Moment Like This