Twitter strives to be the one place we can all turn up and be part of the conversation. For some though, that’s not always easy and Twitter introducing “Fleets” is an attempt to remedy that.

Fleets are disappearing tweets with a 24-hour lifespan. They are not meant to last very long. They are just supposed to give others a tiny peek into your fleeting thoughts and daily life. Probably where the name came from.

Having been tested thoroughly around the world, fleets are finally available for everyone worldwide. Twitter hopes they get more conversations going and keep them ticking over.

Now all your fleeting thoughts have somewhere to go.

Fleets, what’s the big idea?

Social media is very curated. From Instagram to Twitter, every post is worked over to elicit some sort of response. It’s all too easy to get caught up in retweets, likes and the dopamine hit. It’s so easy in fact, it negates the whole point of sharing more of ourselves and getting closer to others. Twitter realizes this, and they hope Fleets release the pressure and let people share more naturally, intimately, and authentically.

That thing you didn’t Tweet but wanted to but didn’t but got so close but then were like nah.

We have a place for that now—Fleets!

Rolling out to everyone starting today. pic.twitter.com/auQAHXZMfH

— Twitter (@Twitter) November 17, 2020

Test runs in Brazil, Italy, India, and a few other places around the world showed that Fleets helped people share more. Fleets are fleeting, within 24 hours they are gone, and knowing that makes people share more frequently than they normally would, at least that’s what the research shows.

Tweets on the other hand feel permanent, like taking pages from your journal and putting them on the show forever. That can be slightly off-putting and it keeps us from sharing what we really want to. And, the idea of trawling your tweet history to delete the sad tweets, the drunken mishaps, and overshares just feels like too much work. Fleets get rid of that problem. You can share whatever you want and after a while, it’s gone, and you never have to give it a second thought. Awesome for your followers that see it, and for those that don’t? Well, they can catch the next one.

Fleets encourage conversation. They make it a lot easier to share spontaneously and off-the-cuff. You can share a lot more of yourself with your followers and know that within 24 hours it’ll be all gone. That’s quite the exceptional pressure release. You can take it easy and just share what you think. That’s a definite win

No doubt fleets will feel a little contrived. Snapchatters and Instagrammers will be thinking been there, done that, but for Twitter fans, it comes as major a plus. The added depth of content you can achieve should be awesome for engagement. And, ways to create stronger connections with followers will always be welcome.

How to use your fleets

To use the fleets feature you’ll need to have your Twitter app updated to the latest version. Once you’ve updated your Twitter apps, you’ll notice there are story loops from the people you follow at the top of your screen. Those are fleets, similar to what you see when you log in to Instagram.

Creating a fleet

Making your own fleets is super easy.

At the top of your screen along with all the other fleets will be your own profile pic, with “add” under it. To get started click on it.

Once that is done, you’ll have the option to customize your fleet using several different elements. You can create Fleets with Text, share pictures from your gallery, capture a moment in your day with a short clip, or make a whole video.

To share from your “Gallery”, in “Capture” mode, or “Video” you’ll need to have your permissions turned on. Follow the prompts and you’ll have that squared away in no time at all.

You can play around with text, spin around images, and change backgrounds all you want, to make sure you’re truly expressing yourself. When you’re happy with your finished product, you hit “Done” then “Fleet”. Your Fleet will be out there for 24 hours before it’s whisked away and disappears as though it never was.

When Tweets become Fleets

The ephemeral nature of fleets makes them incredibly appealing and you can use that to your advantage. You can share your tweets or someone else’s tweets in your fleets. Because people are more likely to check out what you’re sharing in your fleets, adding tweets to your fleets is a pretty smart move for picking up added engagement.

To share tweets as Fleets

You can follow these simple steps to share your own tweets or someone else’s tweets as part of your Fleets.

• Tap the “Share” icon on any tweet
• Select “Share in a fleet“
• Share your reaction to the tweet using text or emojis, or leave it blank.
• Adjust the background color to fit the context and mood of the tweet.
• Tap “Fleet” and you’re done.

To open and engage with tweets in fleets, click on them and the original tweet will be opened up for you. To delete a fleet click on the downward-facing arrow “ᐯ” to the top right of your screen. This will give you the option to delete or tweet about your fleet.

Taking advantage of fleets

Fleets are a great way to put your creativity on display, and no doubt the longer they are around, the crazier people will get with them. If you need a little hand getting started with your fleet ideas then we’ve got you covered. Take some of these ideas and have fun with them.

Go big on Personality

Fleets are amazing for sharing more of yourself with your followers. Take the reins of and give them the full “you” experience. Go deep into your interests, your daily routines, and everything that adds up to all the tweets you post. Your followers will appreciate the added depth and you can’t go wrong if you keep it authentic.

Candid selfies, goofy moments, and crazy hair pics will definitely go down a treat with your followers. Be warned though, there is such a thing as oversharing.

Hype your products

You can take advantage of your fleets and hype your products without clogging up your timeline. Promote your limited offers, sales, and preorders all through your fleets. And the best part? You can add links to fleets. So get your Gumroad, blog, and YT links in your fleets and watch your offers and traffic go through the roof.

Asked and Answered

Fleets make the perfect Q&A medium. At the very least it certainly beats responding in the comments. Kick start your AMAs and then share the comments along with your thoughts in your fleets. Your followers will love showing up in your fleets. And you’ll have people scrambling to see your responses before they vanish into thin air. It’s the perfect way to create some buzz for yourself.

You might be interested – How to download Twitter videos and GIFs

Fleets look like they are here to stay. And that’s not such a bad thing. For such a text-heavy platform, Twitter could use some other types of formats to get more people sharing and to tone down the information overload.

So long as more people are joining in the conversation and coming out of their shells, I doubt you could ask for a whole lot more. Our first impressions are that fleets will prove to be a real good move for Twitter. Yours?

Hit us up @Hypefury on Twitter and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear all about it.

Until then, stay Hype and get Fleeting.