New York — Globally popular micro-blogging outfit Twitter on its official Twitter account earlier this week tweeted the news that the company will henceforth send an email notification when a users’ tweet is either favorited or retweeted by someone the user follows.
For most people who use Twitter, the new notifications will apparently be delivered in the same manner that current notifications about direct messages and new followers are sent, which some users may find it helpful to know when a slight feeling of jubilation a user receives when another signs up to hear daily reports of how Mr. Whiskers is doing on his new chicken kibble can be refreshing.
Interestingly, Twitter apparently thinks that the same feeling of exhilaration can now be applied to retweets and favorite tweets, as well — especially when it is someone that the user follows, like a celebrity.
The option is being gradually being unfurled, but is still not yet visible to all users. Although, when it becomes active, you will be able to turn the notifications on and off in the Twitter settings page (pictured below).
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The new addition probably will make a nice addendum to the lives of most Twitter users. Although the changes are pretty feeble, but they will certainly be useful to those users who like to receive email notifications, as the new options provides an effective way to keep a log of all the activity surrounding you as a user.
Twitter recently altered the look of the DM and New Follower emails to reflect the new look of the site and to emphasize connections. However, it does appear that the default setting is to receive the notifications. So, Twitter power users, prepare yourself for a barrage of emails. To opt out of receiving emails from Twitter, go to “Settings,” then “Notifications” and “Activity.”
The move may be part of Twitter’s attempt to encourage its users to be more engaged with the service and check it more frequently. According to a recent study, Twitter now boasts around 300 million users, and records 13 billion API requests a day. Last year, Twitter users sent about 50 million tweets per day; that is now at 140 million. On March 11, Twitter users sent 177 million tweets.