Twitter allows you to share a photo via text message

Microblogging platform Twitter has just announced a further enhancement that may encourage more Twitter members to start sharing photos on their pages.

From now, Twitter members can send photos to their Twitter accounts using just an SMS message, increasing the speed and simplicity with which they can get content from their smartphones and into their timeline.

In order to send any update to Twitter via SMS, users must first add their phone to their Twitter profile, so that it can associate your number with an account. Once this is verified, you are then given a long or short number that you can use to update your Twitter account. In many countries (including the US) this is a short-digit number. In others (including the UK) it is longer, and may incur an international call charge, but the principle remains the same.

The process by which users can send a photo is as simple as any other text update to their account. Simply type the message you want to tweet, add the photo and then send to your designated long or short-digit number. The photo and update will then appear as a new tweet in your timeline. (Refer to Twitter’s support pages to get a list of the countries that can currently support SMS messaging). Note also, that the service is only available on certain carries in those countries. In the US, SMS messaging to Twitter is only supported by AT & T, Verizon Wireless and Cellular South.

Twitter recently introduced its new photo galleries, which display thumbnails of the last 100 photos tweeted or retweeted on a user profile. The feature offers a visual enhancement to profile pages, and for less-prolific posters, can extend the longevity of the tweet, given that it will still be accessible on the profile page, long after the tweet has passed through the timeline. This new additional service further enhances that capability by simplifying the processfor users, encouraging a greater level of photos on the site.

The inclusion of photos within Tweets can increase a user’s following on the site, as members enjoy a variety of different forms of content. Photos can greatly personalize an account and can also be used by businesses for promotional purposes. As Stephanie Dickison points out over on Media Bistro, however, not all sorts of photo are suitable to appear on Twitter. Recent high profile incidents have led to negative press for some celebrities revealing a little too much in their Twitter photos. It is worth remembering, however, that if you do send a photo that you subsequently regret, all retweeted versions (and copies in photo galleries) will disappear if you delete the original tweet.