A local Pretoria university BSc computer science graduate has created an app to make it quick and easy for Twitter users to read, write and share threads on the social media platform.
'Threads' on Twitter are a series of tweets by the same user that relate to the same theme or story. Users often use threads when what they want to say on Twitter exceeds the 140-character limit imposed by the platform.
Full stack developer Kgothatso Ngako (23) says the idea for Thread Tweets came about when he realised how many people were making use of threads on Twitter.
Threads can reach any length and commonly have up to 10 separate tweets in one.
He said he was missing out on these threads because people would only retweet one tweet in the whole story, without letting on there was a bigger picture. He says this would lead to confusion and tweets being taken out of context.
Ngako says he thought to himself: "Someone needs to curate these tweets."
The third-party app allows users to write out threads while seeing what their previous tweets in the thread were, and to post them all at the same time. Previously, users had to post each tweet in a thread one at a time, replying each time to themselves and remembering what they said at the beginning of the thread.
"The app also makes reading threads easier," says Ngako, "because all of the tweets on the app are threads. One just needs to browse and find a topic they want to read about.
"Also, the app keeps track of how many favourites a thread gets, and when a thread gets a certain number of favourites, the thread moves from the fresh to featured section."
Ngako created the app from the ground up, investing his own time and money.
He says he will look at creating an iOS and desktop version of the app in the future.
However, "I am waiting to see if I can maintain a strong user base on Android before I start with the iOS as that would need me to upgrade my development setup."
The Android app is in beta testing and will be launched officially next week with a live poetry competition.
Poets will be invited to post threads of their poems using Thread Tweets. Ngako says whoever gets the most likes and makes the best use of the platform will take the title of Thread Poetry Champion.
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