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Twitter experiments with showing users their neighbours' tweets

Twitter is testing a feature that allows users to see tweets made by people in the local area.
Written by Nick Heath, Contributor

Twitter is reportedly testing a feature that shows users tweets made by people near to them.

The new Nearby timeline appears to have been added to the official Twitter mobile app for select users. To see the Nearby timeline users must have enabled their tweets to be stamped with their location, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Nearby screen is described as being split into two parts, a map highlighting the location of the user and of nearby tweets and below that a timeline of tweets made by people near to the user. Nearby tweets are apparently shown regardless of whether the user follows the tweeter.

Users can reportedly scroll the map and the feature automatically pulls in tweets local to that area.

Twitter users have been able to add their location to tweets since 2010 but must chose to enable the service.

It is not known if Nearby is being tested ahead of a wider release. Twitter has declined to comment, but the social network has a history of trialling features with small groups of users before rolling them out more widely.

If Nearby is rolled out it would bring to Twitter aspects of the location-based social network Foursquare, which allows users to check out recommendations from friends and other users on what to do in the nearby area.

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