You Can’t Tweet With Us: How to Create a Private Twitter Circle

With Circles, Twitter takes a page from Instagram’s Close Friends feature (not to mention Google+) to let you tweet to a select group of followers. As Twitter describes it: “Some Tweets are for everyone and others are just for the people you’ve chosen.” Here’s how to get around on Twitter.

How do I create a circle on Twitter?

Start by composing a tweet. If Circle is signed into your account, you’ll see a default All button next to your profile icon, which means your tweets are sent to all your followers. To change it, tap All, which opens a Choose the audience menu. touch Edit the button next to it Circle on Twitter option and open it Recommended tab in the new window.

You can then view a list of people you follow or use the search bar to find them directly. When you find someone you want to add to your Circle, tap Add button next to their name. Anyone you add afterwards will be included under Circle on Twitter tab. You can add up to 150 people.

Unlike public Twitter lists, Twitter circles are private. Members are not notified when they are added or removed from your Circle. If your tweets are protected, no one can see interactions with your Circle tweets, even if they’re in your Twitter Circle.

How do I send a tweet to my circle?

touch All button and select Circle on Twitter. Then compose and send your tweet as usual. You can also retweet something in your Circle if you click Retweet button, select Retweet Quotesand change the tweet to Circle on Twitter.

Regular retweets and replies to tweets from outside your Circle cannot be sent to your Twitter Circle. You’ll know when a tweet has been sent to your Circle based on the green notification displayed below it.

When you choose to send a tweet to your Circle, only members of that group can see the tweet and interact with it. If someone interacts with a Twitter Circle tweet, only other members of your Circle can see the interaction. Members of your Circle cannot retweet your Circle tweets to their followers or to their Circle.

How can I edit my circle?

After you create your Twitter Circle, you can edit it from the tweet box by selecting All and hitting Edit the button next to it Circle on Twitter. from Circle on Twitter tab, select Remove for each user you want to exclude. You can also select the green notification under a circle tweet and select Edit Twitter circle to change who remains in the group.

Twitter Circle vs. Protected Tweets

You probably already know that you can protect your tweets so that only your followers can see and interact with them. Do this under More > Settings and privacy > Privacy and security > Audience and tagging and enable Protect your Tweets.

So why use Twitter Circle over this safer method? For years, making your account private has been the only option available to those who don’t want everyone to see their tweets, but this can be a very powerful solution for some.

Twitter Circle allows you to create a smaller group of followers who can see specific tweets without having to close your account completely. You can then choose when to tweet or just your Circle.