Twitter has added new features to its micro-blogging service making it more SMS-friendly.
One of the new features includes Fast Follow, a way for people in the U.S. — including those without Twitter accounts — to receive Tweets on their phones. According to Twitter, users can experience Fast Follow anytime they see a Twitter @username at a restaurant or store, on a billboard or on TV.
In a post on the Twitter blog, the company gives this illustration: “For example, let’s say you want to get Tweets from New York City’s office of emergency management (@NotifyNYC). Just text ‘follow NotifyNYC’ to 40404 in the US.”
Another new SMS-friendly feature available on Twitter is the ability to receive an SMS message on your phone anytime selected people Tweet. Users can select people by hovering over their name or avatar and clicking on the phone icon that appears in the hovercard. Users can easily turn the SMS alerts on or off by sending ‘on [username]’ or ‘off [username]’ to 40404 in the US.
Finally, to keep up with the latest Tweet, users can text ‘Get [username]’, which will send that user’s most recent Tweet to your phone, even if you don’t follow them.