Social networks are continually updating and gaining new perks and features in order to compete with the growing social media marketplace. Twitter (News - Alert) users worldwide are experiencing this phenomenon full force when they realized that a brand-new feature had just been removed without a trace.

Since last month until rather recently, Twitter users had the option to send direct messages to users in their followers list, yet this privilege has been revoked. There was a checkbox under account settings in which the user could decide whether or not to utilize the feature, but that checkbox has mysteriously disappeared. Twitter’s response to this change of heart? The direct messaging option was simply another experiment in order to see what features to keep and what features to throw away in the cyberspace trash can.

Twitter’s simple response came through a statement by VP of engineering Alex Roetter, who says, “as we’ve talked about before, we’re constantly working to make it even easier to follow what you care about, connect with people and discover something new on Twitter…it’s a rare day to go by when we’re not releasing at least one experiment.” Roetter even reveals that not all experiments are created equal – meaning you may see features that your friends may not even have access to. Kind of cool right? All in the name of enhancing the user experience on Twitter, especially in regards to mobile apps (since most of us are tweeting on the go).

With some many social media websites in competition, it is no wonder Twitter is constantly changing and revamping its style. A recent TMCnet feature article talks about how Twitter was adapting a custom timeline to keep up with Facebook (News - Alert), and with this custom timeline users can show his or her personal interests or preferences whether it be by your favorite restaurant or perhaps television series. It’s all about keeping up with the Joneses and quite frankly pleasing the consumer – all you tweeps out there.  As technology continues to transform and the way we communicate follows swiftly behind, one can only wonder what the future holds for Twitter as well as the general capabilities of connecting with others via the Internet.