SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Twitter on Tuesday (April 5) added a button that lets people easily share 'tweets' in direct messages.

The move came as an acknowledgement of the appeal of one-to-one connections to users of the popular one-to-many messaging service, and as Twitter worked to ramp use of its platform.

Millions of direct messages are sent daily at Twitter, and the number of tweets shared privately tripled in the second half of last year, according to product manager Somas Thyagaraja.

"With all this interest, we've also heard from many of you that it could be easier to share a Tweet using Direct
Message," Thyagaraja said. "So now - in just a few taps - you can share unique Twitter content from your timeline right into your private conversation."

Twitter has gradually enhanced its direct messaging option by letting people add animated snippets referred to as GIFs or emotion-capturing symbols called 'emojis,' as well as the option to send lengthy missives. The new 'message' button was added to Twitter applications tailored for mobile devices powered by Apple or Android software, according to Thyagaraja.