Way back in 2011 Twitter gave users the ability to attach photos to their tweets. From a user standpoint, it was a necessary addition as cellphone cameras became increasingly powerful. Over time Twitter saw more and more photos being shared across its network and realized it could not afford to be the second step in the content-creation process. The next significant stride Twitter made in the rich media arena was allowing users to filter photos. Then, very recently, Twitter announced two more major updates: photo tagging and photo galleries. It’s an attempt to own the user experience from start to finish, and it has huge implications for hotels. With the ability to add up to four photos, hotel marketers can now present a more dynamic view of amenities and events without impacting the all-important 140-character limit. Photo tagging will also prove useful for community-building strategies, as hotels can engage with up to 10 partners in a given tweet. In the past, Twitter had struggled to give users the space to be creative while constraining the parameters of creation. These latest updates make it clear the reigns are loosening, if ever so slightly. More freedom means more opportunity to connect with the right guest at the right time with the right content.
