I disagree. IMO private messages shouldn't have the same limitation, and I think Twitter would actually benefit from carefully increasing public limits in two o

I disagree. IMO private messages shouldn't have the same limitation, and I think Twitter would actually benefit from carefully increasing public limits in two or three ways: * Don't count attached images and single links towards the character limit (attaching an image leaves you with less than 140 characters) * Don't count tweeting directly at someone towards the limit (additional @'s should count) * Don't count the first hashtag towards it either These changes would allow you to reply to someone, include the chat's hashtag, and include a single link or image, while still having 140 characters to express an idea. It wouldn't lead to massive clutter or abuse, but it would make public conversations less about the limits and abbreviations, which do hinder readability, and more about the content. It can get really hard to express anything other than overly simplified, individual concepts in a chat, or reference external links, without eating up a substantial amount of the current character limit.