If you have ever tweeted something that went viral, then you certainly know the struggle. You"ll be getting notifications for that thread for days, often from the abusive trolls of the Internet that simply don"t like what you said.
Today, Twitter is taking another step in preventing online abuse. Users will have the ability to mute keywords, users, hashtags, and conversation threads. Note that you won"t have this power over all threads; instead, it"s only for those that you"re mentioned in.
The company also promises that it has retrained all of its support teams on its harassment policies, "including special sessions on cultural and historical contextualization of hateful conduct, and implemented an ongoing refresher program." Twitter says that the goal is a "faster and more transparent process."
The firm admits that this clearly won"t stop online harassment, but it"s very clear that Twitter is taking online abuse more seriously. Many have complained about what appears to be complacency from the company in regards to harassment, and it would appear that the firm is attempting to change that image.
Giving users more control over what they see on a social network is always a good thing. So, what about that edit button, Twitter?