Twitter, the world's favourite micro-blogging social network, has launched two new highly anticipated features. You can now finally record and share videos directly on Twitter, and you can also start private group chats.

Video upload is available for both Android and iOS versions of the Twitter app. Group DMs (Direct Messages) also feature on the power user favourite Tweetdeck, a complete in-browser social client.

The new update comes hot on the heels of Twitter's While You Were Away feature, as the social network looks to gain ground on rival Facebook, that has recently acquired Instagram (which allows 15-second video uploads) and WhatsApp.

Twitter Video: The Things That Matter

Twitter's new video sharing feature is pretty straightforward and just what you'd expect from a no-frills app.

Videos can be up to 30 seconds in length. That's double Instagram’s 15-second limit, and five times the limit of Vine, which Twitter acquired in 2012. Forbes says that this might mean brands start using Twitter for ads more, since 30 seconds is what most commercials are made for.

You can record multiple clips and stitch them together to form an overall video, under 30 seconds. Twitter's built-in video editing tool makes this easy with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Here's what the workflow is like:

Currently, Twitter's video does not support filters like with photos. Right now, only the iOS app supports uploads from the gallery, but that feature is coming to Android soon.

Twitter video is still in its infancy, but if you want to take advantage of it to gain some followers, you can try some of our tips to make unforgettable videos on Instagram.

Head to the official page to find out more about Twitter Video.

Twitter Group Messages: The Things That Matter

So far, if you wanted to talk with several people on Twitter, it meant you'd have to tag all of them in a public conversation or use third-party chat services like Blether. Twitter's new group messages feature finally rids you of that burden.

At the moment, you can add up to 20 people in a private DM group. The standard DM rules apply, i.e. you and the person you add need to be following each other. However, if A adds B and C to a group, B does not need to be following C to be added to the group.

Group chats can be saved and given custom names. Anyone in the group can rename the chat.

You are still limited to 140 characters, you can't type longer messages in DMs.

The process is just like starting a DM, which is one of the essentials elements to use Twitter. The only difference is that you will start a conversation with multiple people, not just one.

Group DMs also work in Tweetdeck, and look something like this:

Apart from private conversations, the big benefit of group messages is that you save on precious character space since you aren't tagging each person in every tweet.

Do You Think It's About Ads?

Both the new features seem to be ripe for advertisers. As Forbes mentioned, a 30-second video clip embedded in tweets would be perfect to show TV ad spots. And group messages would let brands create mini survey groups that they can tap effectively. Do you think that's where Twitter is headed, and if yes, would you still use it regularly?

Sources: Twitter blog (1), (2) | Image Credit: Turtleteeth / Shutterstock