5 answers about Twitter's new changes

Twitter is opening the door to more expression with a host of new changes announced Tuesday.

Videos, GIFs, images and links will no longer count against the 140 character limit placed on individual tweets, Twitter confirmed. The move gives users more room to write tweets, and offers Twitter what it hopes will be a more accessible social media service.

But the way Twitter handles replies and retweets is changing, too. And it's really confusing. Here are five questions to best sum up the changes rolling out in a few months.

1. What's happening with Replies?

The big change is any time you reply to a tweet, the recipient's username will no longer count against the character limit. Great news if you're responding to someone with a long Twitter handle, like @KimKardashian. For example, using the tweet below, the Twitter name at the start of the Reply from CEO Jack Dorsey doesn't count as part of the 140 characters. Space is even more limited when replies involve several usernames.

2. What if I start a tweet with a user's name?

Normally, if you start a tweet with a user's Twitter handle, you need to add a period beforehand, like this:

Users would do this if they want everyone to view the tweet. Dropping the period treats the tweet like a standard reply, and doesn't appear prominently in feeds. It's the difference between talking with someone personally in a crowded room or standing in front of a microphone and addressing them before a crowd.

3. So now every reply I post appears on my feed for followers to see?

Technically, they already do if you have a public profile. But they only appear in the context of a conversation (represented by the black line connecting tweets on Twitter's web app). You can still view these by clicking on Tweets & Replies at a user's profile page. They just don't display prominently on your personal timeline.

4. Why would I want to Retweet and Quote Tweet myself?

If you want to broadcast those replies to your followers, Twitter will offer the option to retweet or "quote tweet," which allows you to retweet something with comments. Twitter is enabling the feature "when (users) want to share a new reflection or feel like a really good one went unnoticed," said the company in a blog post published Tuesday.

5. Why is Twitter doing all this?

To give its users more space to express themselves. Add up Twitter handles along with videos, GIFs or links consuming as much as 24 characters, and it becomes more difficult to say what you want. Eliminating these from the character count in the coming months will allow users room to get creative.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.