This is a momentous update for Twitter. Today, it has been announced that keyword search for DMs is finally launching! Keyword search enables users to locate specific mentions within any DM, allowing them to better track past conversations, products, mentions, shared links, and more.
Sliding In
Based on official Twitter examples, we can see that the updated DM search options now filter queries into four segments:
All – Displays all query results, including username and key term matches.
People – Highlights relevant term-based/defined usernames.
Groups – Shows group chats that include the query term.
Messages – Displays any keyword matches within specific DMs.
These expanded search options make it easier to sift through DMs, especially if there are quite a few. They also provide more functionality for using DMs in more ways, such as in customer service when needing to chase up past engagements and responses.
Twitter has been working on this initiative for over a year, with Debugger reporting last March that Twitter was keen on rolling out a keyword search for DMs. Up until now, the most that we could do was to look up DMs by username, which was helpful but lacked a bit in terms of supplying relevant mentions and terms. While it was better to at least have an option available, what was offered felt unoptimized or, at most, underutilized.
Fortunately, this update helps alleviate that particular bottleneck. As noted, Twitter’s new and expanded DM keyword search will open up a range of new options to make DMs a more useful resource that’s also compatible with more types of applications. Also worth noting is that Twitter has been experimenting with more advanced DM search features in the past, beginning with searching for specific DM threads that involve shared media and links.
The capacity to search by message content is perhaps the most significant development on this front to date. It has been a much-needed and much-welcomed function, allowing us to experiment with and explore Twitter in more ways.
The Wrap
For brands, this would mean improved customer service response rates, while users are given the additional capacity to further streamline their DM response and management. Product inquiries and updates can now go hand-in-hand, not exactly 100% real-time, but close to it. With a little more time, aided by more expansive and market-based testing, Twitter’s DM keyword search looks to be its next strongest element in terms of providing an exemplary user experience.
If you want to give it a whirl, feel free to do so because the new DM search is rolling out today to all users! Happy word-hunting!
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