Twitter widens window to links in tweets

Twitter added Wednesday to the array of online content people could preview in messages without having to click on links included in tweets.

People who access the one-to-many text messaging service online at twitter.com or mobile.twitter.com were provided more opportunities to "expand tweets" with looks at pictures, videos, news article headlines or other content.

"You've probably expanded tweets before to play videos from YouTube or see photos from Instagram," Twitter product team director Michael Sippey said in a blog post.

"Now, a diverse and growing group of new partners like the The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC's Breaking News, and TIME also deliver rich content inside tweets containing a link to those websites."

Expanded links to articles posted in participating publications such as Der Spiegel or the San Francisco Chronicle will show headlines and story introductions, and sometimes the Twitter accounts of the writers or publishers.

Previews will also be available for links to video from Twitter partners such as Lifetime television network and French video-sharing website Dailymotion, according to Sippey.

Twitter said expanded tweets available at the service through Web browsers would be "coming soon" to its applications for iPhones and Android-powered smartphones.

Eliminating the need for Twitter users to navigate away to other websites gives the San Francisco-based firm more opportunities to make revenue with "promoted tweets."