Subscribers To Premium+ Can Now Read Long-Form X Articles
As X advances beyond its roots in short-form content, it introduces X Articles, an integrated blogging platform.
X Articles includes all the essential blog tools, including a title and header image, and a variety of formatting options (such as bolding, italicizing, listing numbers, and linking) so you can keep your posts looking great.
The app also provides more ways for users to differentiate Articles from long-form posts by allowing them to embed images and videos.
X Articles
They have also been upgraded several times to keep up with other blogging tools. While Articles is more suitable for long-form content, it is also available for short-form content.
In the same way as regular X content, X Articles appear on your profile on the new Articles tab, along with your followers’ timeline.
In addition, the layout and icon will make long-form content easily distinguishable, ensuring that it stands out from the crowd.
This new format will hopefully lead to more content being shared directly to the app by publishers and creators, which is what X owner Elon Musk wants.
Musks mission Behind X Articles
Obviously, Musk wishes to transform the platform formerly known as Twitter into some kind of “everything app”, which would enable a variety of different functions and processes.
The “freedom of speech” push of Musk has focused on long-form content, with Musk repeatedly asking “citizen journalists” to share their views on X.
Musk believes that these forums are biased, often against him, and so he hopes by creating more ways for people to share their opinions that the app will help establish an independent information ecosystem.
Despite Musk also penalizing and suspending numerous publications and journalists that he disagrees with, that doesn’t really make sense. Elon’s bias, however, is more balanced because he controls it, so at least from his perspective it’s more balanced. Everything seems to be fine, then.
Is this going to encourage more people to post long-form content on the app?
Premium+ subscribers and Verified Organizations subscribers can get access to the app, so it isn’t available to everyone. It costs $16 a month.
There is a cohort of users that are mostly Elon Musk superfans, and this could be a valuable way for them to post long-form fanfiction about Elon Musk, Tesla, or SpaceX.
Future of X Articles
Yes, it’s bizarre, but I can see how X articles would be useful for that group of people. The option appears to be inexpensive to most publications and journalists, but I haven’t seen anyone actually paying to use it.
It is also likely that X will also look to monetize the service in the future, so media organizations with Verification for Organizations could try it out. This will draw some interest, but whether users will actually use the app to consume long-form content remains to be seen.
Elon Musk reported back in September that 3 billion views were being seen on longer posts in the app each day, but that’s a significant change in behavior.
There is something relevant here in regards to the specifics. How many times do people tap on the “More” CTA in long posts to get 3 billion views? Does X measure the amount of time spent reading?
It’s hard to measure because consumption time within the app must be taken into account, rather than time spent after clicking a link. Overall, X doesn’t really, definitively state whether or not this metric represents popularity or engagement, as it does with all of the metrics it shares.
There is a possibility that it is, and that X Articles will also attract attention.
In the short term, X might offer publishers more incentives for posting directly in the app, but it’s difficult to see why publishers would do so.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are X Articles?
Users can create long-form content on the X platform using X Articles, a blogging platform that offers enhanced features for creating and sharing long-form content.
What tools are available for creating content on X Articles?
A title and header image are included in X Articles, as well as formatting options such as bolding, italicizing, highlighting, and linking.
How is X Articles different from regular short-form content on X?
It is possible to write short-form content as well as long-form content with X Articles. A key difference between the platform and traditional short-form postings is that the platform allows users to embed images and videos.
What are top articles on X?
You can access the most-shared articles across your network using X Premium’s Top Articles feature.
How long are posts on X?
X, formerly Twitter, has made many changes in recent years, one of the biggest being the ability to share longer posts. These posts can be up to 25,000 characters long and can even be formatted with bold and italic text. You’ve probably seen them in your feed already.
Conclusion
By introducing X Articles, X is taking a significant step toward long-form content on its platform. By integrating multimedia tools and creating a distinctive layout, X creates a unique platform for deep blogging. It is obvious that Elon Musk wants to transform X into an all-encompassing “everything app,” emphasizing a commitment to freedom of speech and independence in the information environment. The true impact of this feature on user engagement and content consumption has yet to be determined, although Premium+ subscribers and Verified Organizations are able to use it for $16 per month. Publishers and writers will likely become more inclined to participate in X Articles as the platform explores potential monetization strategies, fostering a dynamic and engaging experience that encourages them to contribute directly to the app.
