Copying Facebook? Twitter’s new features have not gone down too well (Picture: Getty)

Twitter users have accused the micro-blogging platform of copying Facebook with the introduction of ‘tags’ in photos and replacing retweets with a ‘share’ option.

They will now be able to include up to four images in each tweet and tag up to ten people without using any of their allocated 140 characters.

Twitter software engineer Cesar Puerta said it would make ‘conversation around photos fun and easy’.

But technology websites rushed to tell tweeters how they could opt out, especially if they were worried about embarrassing pictures getting out.


Twitter also experimented with replacing the word ‘retweet’ with ‘share with followers’, to make it more attractive to newcomers.



Some users poured scorn on the tweaks. Bournemouth university computing student Paul Cousins tweeted: ‘Surely not ?! @twitter ..Retweet better buzz word!’ Another, @wantedjustin, posted: ‘It’s R-E-T-W-E-E-T not share @twitter YOU COPY CAT! I HATE YOU’

Twitter altered some users’ profiles last month, adjusting their main photos to the left-hand side rather than top of a page – in a move many compared with Facebook.

Earlier this week, reports suggested it was also considering the removal of ‘hashtags’ and ‘@’ symbols, for fear they deter potential newcomers.

Chief executive Dick Costolo is said to be concerned the site has stalled at 241million users.

Facebook has recently had a redesign to offer more Twitter-style options, such as ‘trending’ articles.

Meanwhile, Twitter has announced a new service that will rank the artists and songs spoken about the most on the site for a chart to appear on US music magazine Billboard’s website.