Tweets for non-Twitterers with Fast Follow


11 Aug 2010

Twitter has introduced a new feature to encourage non-Twitterers to get some use out of the service with the help of Fast Follow and your mobile phone.

For now this Fast Follow feature is only available in the US but what it does is allow those without a Twitter account to get tweets straight to their phone in SMS format.

So, should you want to follow Stephen Fry but this new fangled tweeting is not for you then you can text message ‘follow StephenFry’ to 40404.

It seems as though Twitter is doing this to encourage those who see an @username while out and about to use the service by dipping their toes in first.

Worry not, fellow Europeans: “Fast Following without creating an account is currently available only in the US, but we’re working with carriers to bring it to other countries,” says Twitter employee Ieland Rechis.

Those using Twitter from their desktop can hover over a particular user and click on the phone icon to set alerts from their particular user to receive as an SMS on their phone.

Is Twitter trying to replace SMS as the most common way of chatting? Probably not because text messaging is part of its heritage. Remember when it was free to receive SMS alerts every time someone tweeted you?